bipolar

American  

[bahy-poh-ler] / baɪˈpoʊ lər /

adjective

1. having two poles, as the earth.

2. of, relating to, or found at both polar regions.

3. characterized by opposite extremes, as two conflicting political philosophies.

4. Electronics. of or relating to a transistor that uses both positive and negative charge carriers.

5. Psychiatry. of, relating to, or having bipolar disorder.

   His wife is bipolar.

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bipolar British  

/ baɪˈpəʊlə /

adjective

1. having two poles

   a bipolar dynamo

   a bipolar neuron

2. relating to or found at the North and South Poles

3. having or characterized by two opposed opinions, natures, etc

4. (of a transistor) utilizing both majority and minority charge carriers

5. suffering from bipolar manic-depressive disorder

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bipolar Scientific  

/ bī-pō′lər /

1. Relating to or having two poles or charges.

2. Relating to a semiconductor device, such as a transistor, that exploits the electrical characteristics of contact between two substances, one with an inherent positive charge, the other with an inherent negative charge.

3. Relating to or involving both of the Earth's polar regions.

4. Relating to a neuron that has two processes or extremities.

5. Relating to bipolar disorder.

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Other Word Forms

• bipolarity noun
• bipolarization noun

Etymology

Origin of bipolar

First recorded in 1800–10; bi- ¹ + polar

Example Sentences

In his apology ad, the rapper wrote that his behavior was caused by brain trauma from a car accident 25 years ago which later contributed to his bipolar diagnosis.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the time, he also told podcast host Justin Laboy that he had stopped taking his bipolar medication since learning it wasn’t the “right diagnosis.”

From Los Angeles Times

“It wasn’t properly diagnosed until 2023. That medical oversight caused serious damage to my mental health and led to my bipolar type-1 diagnosis.”

From Salon

One man told us how his bank had increased his credit limit, even though he had racked up almost £7,000 of debt during a manic episode linked to bipolar disorder.

From BBC

Mice that received microbes from smaller-brained primates showed gene expression patterns associated with ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar and autism.

From Science Daily