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entropy

[ en-truh-pee ]

/ ˈɛn trə pi /

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See synonyms for entropy on Thesaurus.com

noun

Thermodynamics.

(on a macroscopic scale) a function of thermodynamic variables, as temperature, pressure, or composition, that is a measure of the energy that is not available for work during a thermodynamic process. A closed system evolves toward a state of maximum entropy.
(in statistical mechanics) a measure of the randomness of the microscopic constituents of a thermodynamic system. Symbol: S

(in data transmission and information theory) a measure of the loss of information in a transmitted signal or message.

(in cosmology) a hypothetical tendency for the universe to attain a state of maximum homogeneity in which all matter is at a uniform temperature (heat death ).

a doctrine of inevitable social decline and degeneration.

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Origin of entropy

<German Entropie (1865); see en-², -tropy

OTHER WORDS FROM entropy

en·tro·pic

[en-troh-pik, -trop-ik], /ɛnˈtroʊ pɪk, -ˈtrɒp ɪk/, adjectiveen·tro·pi·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby entropy

entrepôt, entrepreneur, entresol, entropion, entropion uveae, entropy, entrust, entry, entry blank, entryism, entry-level

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

VOCAB BUILDER

What is entropy?

Entropy is a measure of the amount of energy that is unavailable to do work in a closed system.

In science, entropy is used to determine the amount of disorder in a closed system. We have a closed system if no energy from an outside source can enter the system.

For example, an ice cube is orderly because all of its energy (heat) is tightly packed together. As the ice melts, its energy spreads out, creating disorder. The ice cube’s entropy is increasing as the ice melts into the more disorderly state of a liquid (in this case, water).

In everyday use, entropy is used more broadly to refer to a lack of pattern or an increasing disorder, as in The coach’s disorganization spread throughout the team, creating some serious entropy at soccer practice.

Example: My clean room quickly fell into entropy after my younger brother and sister had a chaotic pillow fight in it.

Where does entropy come from?

The first records of entropy come from around 1865. It comes from the German entropie, which combines the prefix en-, meaning “within or in,” and the combining form -trope, meaning “one turned toward.”

Entropy is a measure of an increasingly complex situation that is happening within a system. Unless you study thermodynamics, you are most likely to notice an increase of entropy by what happens because of it, such as a tire deflating or ice cream melting.

You’re more likely to come across the broader, unscientific use of entropy as a synonym for “increased disorder” or “a collapse.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to entropy?

entropic (adjective)
entropically (adverb)

What are some synonyms for entropy?

What are some words that share a root or word element with entropy?

What are some words that often get used in discussing entropy?

How is entropy used in real life?

Although entropy has a narrow scientific meaning, its broader meaning is more commonly used.

"Boredom is a sign of a bigger problem than just idleness; it's a lack of interests and passions." And it's this state of entropy that wastes your time and drives you deeper into your worst state.

— Мемолог (@jilka_dyrka) July 31, 2020

Deep Computer Vision for the Detection of Tantalum and Niobium Fragments in High Entropy Alloys by Akshansh Mishra via @Towards_AI → https://t.co/wxi6kFNlNV #MachineLearning #ML #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #DataScience #DeepLearning #Technology #Programming #news #research …

— Machine Learning Memoirs (@mlmemoirs) August 1, 2020

@charlania Yes – they certainly add to the entropy. (A much nicer way to describe mess!)

— Wellcome (@wellcometrust) April 18, 2013

Try using entropy!

In everyday speech, which of the following words is a synonym of entropy?

A. happiness
B. decline
C. organization
D. improvement

Example sentences from the Web for entropy

In Tenet, he does this with time and entropy, proposing a world in which humans have figured out how to reverse the natural process of decline and move backward.
The ancient palindrome that explains Christopher Nolan’s Tenet|Alissa Wilkinson|September 4, 2020|Vox
If the entropy of the rubber’s molecular configuration decreases, then the entropy must increase elsewhere.
The Shape-Shifting Squeeze Coolers|Marcus Woo|August 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine
In a piece of rubber like Gough’s, the increase in entropy happens in the vibrational motion of the molecules.
The Shape-Shifting Squeeze Coolers|Marcus Woo|August 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine
While entropy is related to a system’s disorder, it’s more precisely described as a measure of the number of configurations a system can have.
The Shape-Shifting Squeeze Coolers|Marcus Woo|August 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine

According to the second law of thermodynamics, the total entropy of a closed system must increase, or at least remain constant.
The Shape-Shifting Squeeze Coolers|Marcus Woo|August 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Until Tuesday, Occupy Wall Street seemed, at least from the outside, to be entering a stage of entropy.
Harsh NYPD Action May Reinvigorate Occupy Wall Street Movement|Michelle Goldberg|November 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The summation is defined as the increase in entropy between the initial and the final states.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
All organic life and movement must cease when this maximum of entropy has been reached.
The Riddle of the Universe at the close of the nineteenth century|Ernst Haeckel
The reader is therefore warned that the proper way to say it is, "the entropy of the universe tends to a maximum."
Major Prophets of To-Day|Edwin E. Slosson
Mirrors of anti-entropy shifted, assumed different angles, and the Invincible sheered off.
Empire|Clifford Donald Simak
When they pierced the anti-entropy, they would cut through the steel plates of the Invincible like so much paper!
Empire|Clifford Donald Simak

British Dictionary definitions for entropy

entropy

/ (ˈɛntrəpɪ) /

noun plural -pies

a thermodynamic quantity that changes in a reversible process by an amount equal to the heat absorbed or emitted divided by the thermodynamic temperature. It is measured in joules per kelvinSymbol: S See also law of thermodynamics

a statistical measure of the disorder of a closed system expressed by S = k log P + c where P is the probability that a particular state of the system exists, k is the Boltzmann constant, and c is another constant

lack of pattern or organization; disorder

a measure of the efficiency of a system, such as a code or language, in transmitting information

Word Origin for entropy

C19: from en- ² + -trope

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

Medical definitions for entropy

entropy

[ ĕn′trə-pē ]

n.

For a closed thermodynamic system, a quantitative measure of the amount of thermal energy not available to do work.

A measure of the disorder or randomness in a closed system.

Other words from entropy

en•tro′pic (ĕn-trō′pĭk, -trŏp′ĭk) adj.

Scientific definitions for entropy

entropy

[ ĕn′trə-pē ]

A measure of the amount of energy in a physical system not available to do work. As a physical system becomes more disordered, and its energy becomes more evenly distributed, that energy becomes less able to do work. For example, a car rolling along a road has kinetic energy that could do work (by carrying or colliding with something, for example); as friction slows it down and its energy is distributed to its surroundings as heat, it loses this ability. The amount of entropy is often thought of as the amount of disorder in a system. See also heat death.

Cultural definitions for entropy

entropy

[ (en-truh-pee) ]

A measure of the disorder of any system, or of the unavailability of its heat energy for work. One way of stating the second law of thermodynamics — the principle that heat will not flow from a cold to a hot object spontaneously — is to say that the entropy of an isolated system can, at best, remain the same and will increase for most systems. Thus, the overall disorder of an isolated system must increase.

notes for entropy

Entropy is often used loosely to refer to the breakdown or disorganization of any system: “The committee meeting did nothing but increase the entropy.”

notes for entropy

In the nineteenth century, a popular scientific notion suggested that entropy was gradually increasing, and therefore the universe was running down and eventually all motion would cease. When people realized that this would not happen for billions of years, if it happened at all, concern about this notion generally disappeared.

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