polar

American  

[poh-ler] / ˈpoʊ lər /

adjective

1. of or relating to the North or South Pole.

2. of or relating to the pole of any sphere, a magnet, an electric cell, etc.

3. opposite in character or action.

   The two have personalities that are polar.

4. capable of ionizing, as NaCl, HCl, or NaOH; electrolytic; heteropolar.

5. central; pivotal.

   the polar provision of the treaty.

6. analogous to the polestar as a guide; guiding.

   a polar precept.

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polar British  

/ ˈpəʊlə /

adjective

1. situated at or near, coming from, or relating to either of the earth's poles or the area inside the Arctic or Antarctic Circles

   polar regions

2. having or relating to a pole or poles

3. pivotal or guiding in the manner of the Pole Star

4. directly opposite, as in tendency or character

5. chem

   1. Also: heteropolar.  (of a molecule or compound) being or having a molecule in which there is an uneven distribution of electrons and thus a permanent dipole moment

      water has polar molecules

   2. (of a crystal or substance) being or having a crystal that is bound by ionic bonds

      sodium chloride forms polar crystals

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polar Scientific  

/ pō′lər /

1. Relating to a pole, such as the pole of a magnet or one of the electrodes of an electrolytic cell.

2. Relating to the North Pole or the South Pole of Earth, or analogous regions of another planet.

3. Relating to a molecule or substance that has polar bonds.

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Other Word Forms

• antipolar adjective
• transpolar adjective

Etymology

Origin of polar

From the Medieval Latin word polāris, dating back to 1545–55. See pole ², -ar ¹

Example Sentences

Such companies are typically the polar opposite of AI stocks, which are valued on “long-dated payoffs, which, in my mind, are largely conjectural,” he says.

From Barron's

As polar ices melt in the coming years, new shipping routes are expected to open up.

From BBC

Greenland is literally the polar opposite of Venezuela: a lightly populated, democratically governed territory of Denmark, itself a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally that cooperates closely with the U.S. on security.

From The Wall Street Journal

These convoys also had to battle the polar ice, which crept south in winter, narrowing the sea lanes between the icepack and the German bases in Norway.

From The Wall Street Journal

Forget, for now, that “polar bear” ocean swim.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• freezing
• frigid
• glacial
• icy