causality
Americannoun
plural
causalities-
the relation of cause and effect.
The result is the same, however differently the causality is interpreted.
-
causal quality or agency.
noun
-
-
the relationship of cause and effect
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the principle that nothing can happen without being caused
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-
causal agency or quality
Other Word Forms
- noncausality noun
Etymology
Origin of causality
Explanation
Causality is the connection between a cause and its result or consequence. It is sometimes hard to figure out the causality of a stomach ache — it could be due to something you ate, or just a result of stress. You'll often find the word causality in scholarly or academic writing. Medical researchers might talk about the causality of various diseases, and a sociologist might study the causality of a childhood in poverty on future trouble in school. This noun comes from the adjective causal, "acting as a cause," from a Latin root, causa, or "cause."
Vocabulary lists containing causality
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 32
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Cosmos
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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
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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.
Now, “the arrow of causality has flipped” on the view that “AI is killing the jobs first, and that’s what’s making the economy sick.”
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
His recent writings in The Wall Street Journal External link , however, exhibit a confidence about money growth and balance sheet causality that exceeds the humility he has emphasized in the past.
From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026
And such studies can only show associations, not prove causality.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
But sometimes the causality goes in the other direction.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2024
Some scientists think that when expansion is followed by contraction, when the spectra of distant galaxies are all blue-shifted, causality will be inverted and effects will precede causes.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
