linear

[ lin-ee-er ]

/ ˈlɪn i ər /

adjective

of, consisting of, or using lines: linear design.

pertaining to or represented by lines: linear dimensions.

extended or arranged in a line: a linear series.

involving measurement in one dimension only; pertaining to length: linear measure.

of or relating to the characteristics of a work of art in which forms and rhythms are defined chiefly in terms of line.

having the form of or resembling a line: linear nebulae.

Mathematics.

consisting of, involving, or describable by terms of the first degree.
having the same effect on a sum as on each of the summands: a linear operation.

Electronics. delivering an output that is directly proportional to the input: a linear circuit; a linear amplifier.

threadlike; narrow and elongated: a linear leaf.

QUIZZES

How Hip Is Your Lingo? Take Our Slang Quiz!

If you aren’t already skilled in slang, then this quiz can get you up to speed in no time!

Question 1 of 11

OK Boomer can be perceived as pejorative, but it is mostly considered to be _____

a slang word for astronauts that originated in the 1950s.

a comment toward the Baby Boomer generation that is humorous or ironic in usage.

an obsolete slang term about people who speak loudly.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of linear

First recorded in 1635–45, linear is from the Latin word līneāris of, belonging to lines. See line¹, -ar¹

OTHER WORDS FROM linear

lin·e·ar·ly, adverbnon·lin·e·ar, adjectivesub·lin·e·ar, adjective

Words nearby linear

linea alba, linea nigra, lineage, lineal, lineament, linear, linear a, linear accelerator, linear algebra, linear atrophy, linear b

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for non-linear

He is known to be difficult, because of his love of the Latinate, and his non-linear, digressive, even symphonic, narrative style.
Nigeria’s Larger-Than-Life Nobel Laureate Chronicles a Fascinating Life|Chimamanda Adichie|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The messy, complex, non-linear movement of actual history, by contrast, is unsettling, humbling—even terrifying.
How ‘Cosmos’ Bungles the History of Religion and Science|David Sessions|March 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I started out approaching a novel the way I write stories, which is in a non-linear and exploratory way.
Karen Russell: How I Write|Noah Charney|February 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Not surprisingly, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe was written in a non-linear fashion.
Best New Writers|Sarah Weinman|May 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The literate argument of science and multimedia's non-linear heuristic path to science are fundamentally different.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
Equations, whether ordinary or partial, can also be classified as linear or non-linear.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
They are constitutive of non-linear forms of complementarity.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
Linearity is effectively supplanted by non-linear descriptions of the many interlocking factors at work.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
The relations between the elements involved are non-linear and change continuously.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for non-linear

linear

/ (ˈlɪnɪə) /

adjective

of, in, along, or relating to a line

of or relating to length

resembling, represented by, or consisting of a line or lines

having one dimension

designating a style in the arts, esp painting, that obtains its effects through line rather than colour or light and in which the edges of forms and planes are sharply definedCompare painterly

maths of or relating to the first degreea linear equation

narrow and having parallel edgesa linear leaf

electronics

(of a circuit, etc) having an output that is directly proportional to inputlinear amplifier
having components arranged in a line

Derived forms of linear

linearity (ˌlɪnɪˈærɪtɪ), nounlinearly, adverb

Word Origin for linear

C17: from Latin līneāris of or by means of lines

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

Medical definitions for non-linear

linear

[ lĭn′ē-ər ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or resembling a line; straight.

Scientific definitions for non-linear

linear

[ lĭn′ē-ər ]

Being or resembling a line.