nonlinear
Americanadjective
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not linear.
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progressing or changing in a way that is not predictable, logical, or straightforward.
adjective
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not of, in, along, or relating to a line
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denoting digital editing in which edits are saved on computer, rather than videotape, thus enabling further edits to be made
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Explanation
Things that don't follow a straight or logical path are nonlinear. In books and movies, a nonlinear narrative jumps around in time, rather than moving forward chronologically. The word nonlinear means "not like a line," from the Latin linea, "string or line." Use this adjective to describe things that veer off the straight and narrow, or for situations in which one event doesn't clearly follow another. If you tell your friend the long story of how you first got your dog, interspersing the tale with details of the dream you had last night, that's a good example of a nonlinear narrative.
Vocabulary lists containing nonlinear
STAAR English I: Elements of Literature
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STAAR English II: Elements of Literature 1
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STAAR Grade 8 Reading: Literature, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nonlinear systems have applications in many diverse fields from robotics to economics.
From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2024
Christopher Fryer, head of Los Alamos’s Center for Nonlinear Studies, has found that the weapons codes still contain computational tricks conjured up decades ago by Manhattan Project luminaries such as Hans Bethe and Richard Feynman.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 20, 2023
Nonlinear phenomena lack a direct or linear proportionality that makes analysis and understanding a little easier.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
I address this question in my recently published book, Nonlinear Science and Warfare: Chaos, Complexity, and the U.S.
From Forbes • Jan. 30, 2014
Nonlinear, visually striking, often highly colloquial, her work has attracted top prizes, among them a MacArthur Fellowship and a Tony Award.
From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
