residual

[ ri-zij-oo-uhl ]
See synonyms for: residualresiduals on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. pertaining to or constituting a residue or remainder; remaining; leftover.

  2. Mathematics.

    • formed by the subtraction of one quantity from another: a residual quantity.

    • (of a set) having complement of first category.

  1. of or relating to the payment of residuals.

  2. Medicine/Medical. remaining in an organ or part following normal discharge or expulsion: residual air.

  3. Geology. remaining after the soluble elements have been dissolved: residual soil.

noun
  1. a residual quantity; remainder.

  2. Often residuals. something that remains to discomfort or disable a person following an illness, injury, operation, or the like; disability: His residuals are a weak heart and light-headedness.

  1. Mathematics.

    • the deviation of one of a set of observations or numbers from the mean of the set.

    • the deviation between an empirical and a theoretical result.

  2. Navigation. a slight deviation of an adjusted compass on a certain heading.

  3. Usually residuals. additional pay given to a performer for reruns, repeated use of a film, radio or TV commercial, or the like, in which the performer appears.

Origin of residual

1
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin residu(um) “what is left over, remainder” (noun use of neuter of adjective residuus “left over,” derivative of resid(ēre) “to remain seated, be left over”) + -uus adjective suffix + -al adjective suffix; see reside,-al1

Other words for residual

Other words from residual

  • non·re·sid·u·al, adjective, noun
  • un·re·sid·u·al, adjective

Words that may be confused with residual

Words Nearby residual

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use residual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for residual

residual

/ (rɪˈzɪdjʊəl) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or designating a residue or remainder; remaining; left over

  2. (of deposits, soils, etc) formed by the weathering of pre-existing rocks and the removal of disintegrated material

  1. of or relating to the payment of residuals

noun
  1. something left over as a residue; remainder

  2. statistics

    • the difference between the mean of a set of observations and one particular observation

    • the difference between the numerical value of one particular observation and the theoretical result

  1. (often plural) payment made to an actor, actress, musician, etc, for subsequent use of film in which the person appears

Derived forms of residual

  • residually, adverb

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