bipolar

[bahy-poh-ler]

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.

bipolar

/ 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

bipolar

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.

Other Word Forms

• bipolarity noun
• bipolarization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bipolar¹

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

Example Sentences

A European reserve manager was quoted as saying “we are moving from a bipolar to a multipolar reserve system, but the euro is not ready yet to lead.”

Read more on Barron's

She had been battling various mental health conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and dissociative identity disorder.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Freddie isn’t merely the petulant brat of the first Broadway production, but suffering from bipolar disorder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Looking at his genome, and comparing it with polygenic scores, they found that Hitler had a high predisposition for autism, ADHD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Read more on BBC

His superiors sent him to a psychiatrist, who diagnosed Mike Burry as bipolar.

Read more on Literature