This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
inverse
[ adjective, noun in-vurs, in-vurs; verb in-vurs ]
/ adjective, noun ÉȘnËvÉrs, ËÉȘn vÉrs; verb ÉȘnËvÉrs /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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
verb (used with object), in·versed, in·vers·ing.
to invert.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of inverse
Words nearby inverse
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
/ (ÉȘnËvÉËs, ËÉȘnvÉËs) /
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 âx, 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, adverbWord 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 HeritageÂź Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.