inverse

[ adjective, noun in-vurs, in-vurs; verb in-vurs ]

/ adjective, noun ɪnˈvɜrs, ˈɪn vɜrs; verb ɪnˈvɜrs /

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See synonyms for: inverse / inversed / inverses / inversing on Thesaurus.com

adjective

reversed in position, order, direction, or tendency.

Mathematics.

(of a proportion) containing terms of which an increase in one results in a decrease in another. A term is said to be in inverse proportion to another term if it increases (or decreases) as the other decreases (or increases).
of or relating to an inverse function.Compare direct (def. 16).

inverted; turned upside down.

noun

an inverted state or condition.

something that is inverse; the direct opposite.

Mathematics.

an element of an algebraic system, as a group, corresponding to a given element such that its product or sum with the given element is the identity element.
inverse function.
a point related to a given point so that it is situated on the same radius, extended if necessary, of a given circle or sphere and so that the product of the distances of the two points from the center equals the square of the radius of the circle or sphere.
the set of such inverses of the points of a given set, as the points on a curve.

verb (used with object), in·versed, in·vers·ing.

to invert.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of inverse

1605–15; <Latin inversus, past participle of invertere to turn upside down or inside out, reverse. See in-², verse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH inverse

converse, inverse , obverse, reverse

Words nearby inverse

Invercargill, Inverclyde, Inver Grove Heights, Inverness, Inverness-shire, inverse, inverse cosecant, inverse cosine, inverse cotangent, inverse function, inverse image

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

How to use inverse in a sentence

Both of these can be greater when you’re alone—although, ironically, they’re often at inverse levels.
How (and Why) to Adventure Solo|awise|August 7, 2021|Outside Online
For Magneto, it’s that mutants are superior to humans and should eliminate them before the inverse happens.
The MCU Has a Longstanding Villain Problem. Loki’s Introduction of Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror Might Just Solve It|Eliana Dockterman|July 16, 2021|Time
In the third century BCE, the philosopher Aristotle described the female body as the inverse of the male body, with its genitalia “turn’d outside in.”
Medical Myths About Gender Roles Go Back to Ancient Greece. Women Are Still Paying the Price Today|Elinor Cleghorn|June 17, 2021|Time
Finding the pair required a complex computer search, but verifying that they really are inverses is well within the realm of human computation.
Mathematician Disproves 80-Year-Old Algebra Conjecture|Erica Klarreich|April 12, 2021|Quanta Magazine

Now Gardam has turned up a pair of multiplicative inverses with 21 terms each within a group algebra built from the Hantzsche-Wendt group.
Mathematician Disproves 80-Year-Old Algebra Conjecture|Erica Klarreich|April 12, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Somehow, the brevity of the message creates an inverse potential for misunderstanding.
What Would Jane Eyre Sext?|Jennie Yabroff|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is an inverse Pietà, and something of a sexual anarchist; she ardently refuses to be oriented in an orientation.
Is Bigger Better for St. Vincent?|David Yaffe|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The meme is the inverse of Harvey Milk: you gotta take away all their hope.
D.C. Needs a Grassroots Fix That Will Come When Left and Right Find Common Ground|Lawrence Lessig|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is an inverse correlation at play: the nicer a man appears, the greater his cruelty behind closed doors.
American Dreams, 1963: ‘The Group’ by Mary McCarthy|Nathaniel Rich|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whatever the answer, the inverse desire for unlikable characters—truly despicable ones—is interesting.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 28, 2013|Jen Vafidis|May 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Now recall the series in an inverse order, beginning with “Fieldhand,” and going back to “Building.”
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The first cost of these engines was probably in inverse proportion to their power.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
The pressure of darkness acts in inverse proportion upon different kinds of natures.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo
We shall, then, in a separate chapter, examine and endeavour to characterize the inverse process.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill
And as will be shown presently, nothing of a really scientific character is here possible, except by the inverse deductive method.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill

British Dictionary definitions for inverse

inverse

/ (ɪnˈvɜːs, ˈɪnvɜːs) /

adjective

opposite or contrary in effect, sequence, direction, etc

maths

(of a relationship) containing two variables such that an increase in one results in a decrease in the otherthe volume of a gas is in inverse ratio to its pressure
(of an element) operating on a specified member of a set to produce the identity of the set: the additive inverse element of x is –x, the multiplicative inverse element of x is 1/x

(usually prenominal) upside-down; invertedin an inverse position

noun

maths

another name for reciprocal (def. 7)
an inverse element

logic a categorial proposition derived from another by changing both the proposition and its subject from affirmative to negative, or vice versa, as all immortals are angels from no mortals are angels

Derived forms of inverse

inversely, adverb

Word Origin for inverse

C17: from Latin inversus, from invertere to invert

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

Scientific definitions for inverse

inverse

Adjective

Relating to a mathematical operation whose nature or effect is the opposite of another operation. For example, addition and subtraction are inverse operations, as are multiplication and division.

Noun

An inverse operation. Subtraction is the inverse of addition.

Either of a pair of elements in a set whose result under the mathematical operation of the set is the identity element. For example, the inverse of 5 under multiplication is 15, since 5 X 15 = 1, the identity element under multiplication. The inverse of 5 under addition is -5, since 5 + -5 = 0.

inverse

Origin of inverse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH inverse

Words nearby inverse

Words related to inverse

How to use inverse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inverse

Derived forms of inverse

Word Origin for inverse

Scientific definitions for inverse