duality

[ doo-al-i-tee, dyoo- ]

/ duˈæl ɪ ti, dyu- /

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noun

a dual state or quality.

Mathematics. a symmetry within a mathematical system such that a theorem remains valid if certain objects, relations, or operations are interchanged, as the interchange of points and lines in a plane in projective geometry.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of duality

1350–1400; Middle English dualitie<Late Latin duālitās.See dual, -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM duality

non·du·al·i·ty, noun

Words nearby duality

dual citizenship, dual heritage, dual highway, dualism, dualistic, duality, duality principle, dualize, dually, Dual Monarchy, dual personality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use duality in a sentence

On one level, that duality reflects the abiding tensions within many Muslim nations.
Islamist Terrorism Is Not Done With Us, Warns Former al Qaeda Hostage Theo Padnos|Karl Vick|February 25, 2021|Time
She remains that fascinating duality, a skillset more common than when she first entered the league because she was so transcendent that a generation since has consciously tried to emulate her.
The WNBA Teams To Watch Next Season|Howard Megdal|February 17, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Wave-particle duality turned out to be a symptom of a deep strangeness.
What Is a Particle?|Natalie Wolchover|November 12, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The duality of the Frye twins introduced respective, unique skill trees to unlock.
All the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games, ranked|Elise Favis, Gene Park|November 11, 2020|Washington Post

The new calculations say much the same thing, but without committing to the duality or to string theory.
The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End|George Musser|October 29, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Buried halfway underground, the work has a duality of life and death—is it growing or is it a tomb?
Art’s Bad Boy Dan Colen Is All Grown Up|Justin Jones|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We liked the duality of these low-plunging costumes because Amy could slip from being confident to vulnerable,” says Wilkinson.
Creating American Hustle’s Sexy, Oscar-Nominated Look: From Pasties to The Plaza|Marlow Stern|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much like the duality of his shop, Simon is half goateed-rocker, half cicerone sage.
Look Out! There’s a Craft-Beer Revolution Taking Over France|Jeff Campagna|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That duality is represented by Tom Ford more than any other designer.
The Jenna Divorce Obsession|Robin Givhan|October 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST
As a ballerina, to embody the duality of the Swan Queen and the black swan can be a fiendishly difficult task.
The Ballerina's Curse|Wendy Whelan|December 4, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He saw her struggles and her tears… the mysterious duality working to possess her soul.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
They were a duality the constitutive forces of which alternately assumed supremacy.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
Duality is the root, out of which alone, for mortals, happiness can spring.
The Substance of a Dream |F. W. Bain
From the top to the bottom of the sexual scale the new being springs invariably from a duality.
The Natural Philosophy of Love|Remy de Gourmont
I shall merely pause here in my narrative to indicate this duality, this perplexing mixing of personality.
Before Adam|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for duality

duality

/ (djuːˈælɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the state or quality of being two or in two parts; dichotomy

physics the principle that a wave-particle duality exists in microphysics in which wave theory and corpuscular theory are complementary. The propagation of electromagnetic radiation is analysed using wave theory but its interaction with matter is described in terms of photons. The condition of particles such as electrons, neutrons, and atoms is described in terms of de Broglie waves

geometry the interchangeability of the roles of the point and the plane in statements and theorems in projective geometry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

duality

Origin of duality

OTHER WORDS FROM duality

Words nearby duality

Words related to duality

How to use duality in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for duality