modal

[ mohd-l ]

/ ˈmoʊd l /

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adjective

of or relating to mode, manner, or form.

Music.

pertaining to mode, as distinguished from key.
based on a scale other than major or minor.

Also single modal. Transportation. pertaining to or suitable for transportation involving only one form of a carrier, as truck, rail, or ship.Compare bimodal (def. 3), intermodal.

Grammar. noting or pertaining to mood.

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

Logic. exhibiting or expressing some phase of modality.

noun

modal auxiliary.

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Origin of modal

From the Medieval Latin word modālis, dating back to 1560–70. See mode¹, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM modal

mod·al·ly, adverbnon·mod·al, adjectivenon·mod·al·ly, adverb

Words nearby modal

mock turtle soup, mockumentary, mock-up, mod, modacrylic fiber, modal, modal auxiliary, modality, modal logic, mod cons, modding

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use modal in a sentence

Many higher-end models offer modal connections, with wireless, USB, and traditional wired options.
Level-up your PC audio experience with the best desktop speakers|Tony Ware|August 19, 2021|Popular-Science
Instead, Apple should make this message clickable, which opens a modal to learn more about this issue.
Apple AirTags UX teardown: The trade-off between privacy and user experience|Annie Siebert|June 17, 2021|TechCrunch
Pichai also mentioned Google’s focus on developing multi-modal models that can understand information across text, images, audio and video.
Google’s LaMDA will enable open-ended voice conversations|George Nguyen|May 19, 2021|Search Engine Land
Columbia’s jersey sheets are made from super-soft 100 percent modal jersey with Omni-wick, moisture-wicking technology to keep you dry yet insulated.
Best sheets: Choose the right bed linens for a good night’s sleep|Carsen Joenk|December 18, 2020|Popular-Science

These elements usually include forms, buttons, navigations, dropdowns, alerts, modals, tabs, accordions, carousels, tooltips, and so on.
Top 10 Tools to facilitate web development|Mary G. Byrd|September 25, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Again, modal propositions cannot be reduced to the common form by joining the modality to the predicate, and turning, e.g.
Analysis of Mr. Mill's System of Logic|William Stebbing
Dupliciter is always modal; in two different manners, with double purpose; bifariam is local, in two places, or two parts.
Dderlein's Hand-book of Latin Synonymes|Ludwig Dderlein
I cant take that; it would not even cover my outlay— Ta buleh-lah tuan, ta pulang modal sahaya.
A Manual of the Malay language|William Edward Maxwell
Others are modal in character, such as 'What shall we do with the drunken sailor?'
The Shanty Book, Part I, Sailor Shanties|Richard Runciman Terry
The present sample is not adequate to indicate extreme or modal dates with reasonable accuracy.
The Breeding Birds of Kansas|Richard F. Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for modal

modal

/ (ˈməʊdəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of mode or manner

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

philosophy logic

qualifying or expressing a qualification of the truth of some statement, for example, as necessary or contingent
relating to analogous qualifications such as that of rules as obligatory or permissive

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

music of or relating to a mode

of or relating to a statistical mode

Derived forms of modal

modally, adverb

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