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inverse

[ adjective, noun in-vurs, in-vurs; verb in-vurs ]
/ adjective, noun ÉȘnˈvɜrs, ˈÉȘn vɜrs; verb ÉȘnˈvɜrs /
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See synonyms for: inverse / inversed / inverses / inversing on Thesaurus.com

adjective
reversed in position, order, direction, or tendency.
Mathematics.
  1. (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).
  2. of or relating to an inverse function.Compare direct (def. 16).
inverted; turned upside down.
noun
verb (used with object), in·versed, in·vers·ing.
to invert.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inverse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inverse

inverse
/ (ÉȘnˈvɜːs, ˈÉȘnvɜːs) /

adjective
opposite or contrary in effect, sequence, direction, etc
maths
  1. (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
  2. (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
  1. another name for reciprocal (def. 7)
  2. 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.
The American HeritageŸ Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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