nonlinear
Americanadjective
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not linear.
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progressing or changing in a way that is not predictable, logical, or straightforward.
adjective
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not of, in, along, or relating to a line
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denoting digital editing in which edits are saved on computer, rather than videotape, thus enabling further edits to be made
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Explanation
Things that don't follow a straight or logical path are nonlinear. In books and movies, a nonlinear narrative jumps around in time, rather than moving forward chronologically. The word nonlinear means "not like a line," from the Latin linea, "string or line." Use this adjective to describe things that veer off the straight and narrow, or for situations in which one event doesn't clearly follow another. If you tell your friend the long story of how you first got your dog, interspersing the tale with details of the dream you had last night, that's a good example of a nonlinear narrative.
Vocabulary lists containing nonlinear
STAAR English I: Elements of Literature
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STAAR English II: Elements of Literature 1
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STAAR Grade 8 Reading: Literature, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The third, more severe, scenario is one in which financial conditions tighten in a meaningful way and vulnerabilities kick in, generating nonlinear behavior.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
In Sokolov’s “They Will Kill You,” written with Alex Litvak, that premise is combined with a Tarantino-esque taste for kung fu movies and nonlinear storytelling, as well as a “John Wick”-style quest for vengeance.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
These materials can also produce new colors of light through nonlinear optical effects such as second-harmonic generation.
From Science Daily • Mar. 24, 2026
Their approach uses Maxwell's equation in the time domain, allowing them to account for nonlinear effects and track how signals evolve.
From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026
From his own experiences in Vietnam and his reading of the German military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, Van Riper became convinced that war was inherently unpredictable and messy and nonlinear.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
