oscillatory
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of oscillatory
1730–40; < New Latin oscillātōrius, equivalent to Latin oscillā ( re ) to swing ( see oscillate) + -tōrius -tory 1
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.
Continuous fields, ion flows, dendritic integration, local oscillatory coupling, and emergent electromagnetic interactions are not just biological "details" that can be ignored while extracting an abstract algorithm.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 24, 2025
The torso and lower legs each move relative to the seat in an oscillatory fashion, but the frequency of that oscillation changes to remain optimal for pumping.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 6, 2023
The patient eventually needed a rare treatment known as high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, which involves gentle vibrations that move air around in the lungs.
From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2021
This oscillatory coupling enables a person to quickly recognize a familiar face at work, but it also makes it more difficult to identify the same co-worker in an unfamiliar place.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 12, 2020
As in all other cases of oscillatory motion, the principle of resonance may here be brought into play to increase immensely the amplitude of the current oscillations thereby set up in the receiving aerial.
From Hertzian Wave Wireless Telegraphy by John Ambrose Fleming
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.
