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nonlinearity

American  
[non-lin-ee-ar-i-tee] / ˌnɒn lɪn iˈær ɪ ti /

noun

  1. Mathematics. the quality of a function that expresses a relationship that is not one of direct proportion.

  2. Electricity. deviation of an input-output relationship from one of direct proportionality.


Etymology

Origin of nonlinearity

First recorded in 1925–30; non- + linearity

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.

See Examples For:

"At this critical power, the nonlinearity can counter the intrinsic disorder, creating a balance that transforms the input beam into a self-organized pencil beam," Cao explains.

From Science Daily Apr. 28, 2026

Zhou's method to improve materials' nonlinearity is a step closer to enabling those technologies.

From Science Daily May 14, 2024

What sets this study apart is its initiative to incorporate brain-inspired nonlinearity into an AI construct, signifying a significant advancement in simulating human-like memory consolidation.

From Science Daily Dec. 18, 2023

"There's a real nonlinearity lurking in there that we hadn't seen before," he said.

From Salon Jun. 7, 2023

This new function allows us to give concrete examples whenever nonlinearity is useful.

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Colignatus, Thomas

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