causality

American  

[kaw-zal-i-tee] / kɔˈzæl ɪ ti /

noun

• causalities
  plural

1. the relation of cause and effect.

   The result is the same, however differently the causality is interpreted.

2. causal quality or agency.

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causality British  

/ kɔːˈzælɪtɪ /

noun

1. 1. the relationship of cause and effect

   2. the principle that nothing can happen without being caused

2. causal agency or quality

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncausality
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• causalities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of causality

First recorded in 1595–1605; causal + -ity

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Explanation

Causality is the connection between a cause and its result or consequence. It is sometimes hard to figure out the causality of a stomach ache — it could be due to something you ate, or just a result of stress. You'll often find the word causality in scholarly or academic writing. Medical researchers might talk about the causality of various diseases, and a sociologist might study the causality of a childhood in poverty on future trouble in school. This noun comes from the adjective causal, "acting as a cause," from a Latin root, causa, or "cause."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

causality causalities

"This lets us more precisely infer causality between events in the geologic record, for example a meteor impact structure and a mass extinction," Renne said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Military authorities put effort into messaging that ultimately obscures responsibility and causality, and family members who speak out sometimes fear real repercussions for themselves and loved ones.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

But his history is a useful reminder that no divine causality is ultimately needed to account for Athens’—or any nation’s—demise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

His recent writings in The Wall Street Journal External link , however, exhibit a confidence about money growth and balance sheet causality that exceeds the humility he has emphasized in the past.

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

There is a dreary chain of causality: The Germans were working on the bomb at the beginning of World War II; so the Americans had to make one first.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Military authorities who rarely report any causalities among their ranks regularly claim victories in their anti-jihadist fight.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025

Earlier it said causalities could be “figures of non-Syrian nationalities.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 10, 2024

According to Libya's Emergency Medicine and Support Center, 234 families had to be evacuated from frontline areas with 60 ambulances deployed and three field hospitals set up to deal with the causalities.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2023

From the outside, the three most obvious potential cap causalities are wide receiver Keenan Allen, left guard Matt Feiler and tight end Gerald Everett.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2023

Moreover, large forces drive our operational level strategy to force-on-force engagements in the attrition warfare model of the last century with its attendant causalities and destruction of equipment.

From Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance by James P. Wade

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Related Words

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• ancestry
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