modal

¹ American  

[mohd-l] / ˈmoʊd l /

adjective

1. of or relating to mode, manner, or form.

2. Music.

   1. relating to mode, as distinguished from key.

   2. based on a scale other than major or minor.

3. Transportation. Also single modal. relating to or suitable for transportation involving only one form of a carrier, such as truck, rail, or ship.

4. Grammar. being or relating to mood.

5. Philosophy. relating to a mode of a thing, as distinguished from one of its basic attributes or from its substance or matter.

6. Statistics. relating to the mode, the value that occurs most frequently in a particular data set, population, etc.

7. Logic. exhibiting or expressing some phase of modality.

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noun

1. Grammar. modal auxiliary.

modal ² American  

[moh-dol, mohd-l] / moʊˈdɒl, ˈmoʊd l /

noun

1. a type of rayon made from the pulp of hardwood trees, especially beech.

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modal British  

/ ˈməʊdəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of mode or manner

2. grammar (of a verb form or auxiliary verb) expressing a distinction of mood, such as that between possibility and actuality. The modal auxiliaries in English include can, could, may, must, need, ought, shall, should, will, and would

3. philosophy logic

   1. qualifying or expressing a qualification of the truth of some statement, for example, as necessary or contingent

   2. relating to analogous qualifications such as that of rules as obligatory or permissive

4. metaphysics of or relating to the form of a thing as opposed to its attributes, substance, etc

5. music of or relating to a mode

6. of or relating to a statistical mode

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Other Word Forms

• modally adverb
• nonmodal adjective
• nonmodally adverb

Etymology

Origin of modal¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Medieval Latin modālis; equivalent to mode ¹ + -al ¹

Origin of modal²

First recorded in 1975–80; from Serbo-Croatian; equivalent to mod(ulus) ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Think of modal as relating to some "mode," or form. A modal verb is a helper that gives additional information about the verb that follows it, and includes such words as "can," "will," "should," and "may," among others. The English word modal has long been used as a term in logic and statistics, such as "modal values." Toward the end of that century, the term was used in music, suggesting a use of harmonies and melodies based on other than the standard major and minor scales, in a style found in medieval liturgical music. Modal logic, in philosophy, is a supposition or conclusion based on the ideas of probability and necessity rather than concrete fact.

Example Sentences

Mr. Weir’s approach on rhythm guitar featured intricate chord voicings, sophisticated interplay with Garcia, and modal progressions inspired by 1960s jazz pianists, including McCoy Tyner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

“These cross modal correspondences are shared across people. Is it across everybody? Is it universal? Sometimes, perhaps yes,” Spence said.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025

So maybe you draw a line to my kind of modal baselines that kind of harken back to “A Love Supreme.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

"Labour will set targets for modal shift to lower emissions from the transport sector," the document spells out rather dryly, on page 16.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2024

NOTE: The dominant in modal music did not have the harmonic function that the dominant has in tonal music.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones