first-order

British

adjective

logic quantifying only over individuals and not over predicates or clauses: first-order predicate calculus studies the logical properties of such quantification

"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

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.

Honda's first-order issue is a severe vibration from the engine that has been leading to failures in the battery.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Currently, first-order risks look largely similar to 2022 at the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when war policy exposure among Lloyd’s companies was minimal, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

That picture is far from certain—“a first-order guess,” Hurley-Walker calls it.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 3, 2024

Other shear features found in younger geologic units in the same region do not align in slip direction with typical first-order shear indicators.

From Science Daily • Nov. 6, 2023

A first-order issue is how can we augment or improve the use of existing military capability should it be required.

From Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance by Wade, James P.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023