linear

[ lin-ee-er ]
See synonyms for linear on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, consisting of, or using lines: linear design.

  2. pertaining to or represented by lines: linear dimensions.

  1. extended or arranged in a line: a linear series.

  2. involving measurement in one dimension only; pertaining to length: linear measure.

  3. of or relating to the characteristics of a work of art in which forms and rhythms are defined chiefly in terms of line.

  4. having the form of or resembling a line: linear nebulae.

  5. progressing logically from step to step; having a regular sequence of stages: Such linear thinking can inhibit true innovation and creative exploration.

  6. Mathematics.

    • consisting of, involving, or describable by terms of the first degree.

    • having the same effect on a sum as on each of the summands: a linear operation.

  7. Electronics. delivering an output that is directly proportional to the input: a linear circuit; a linear amplifier.

  8. threadlike; narrow and elongated: a linear leaf.

Origin of linear

1
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin līneāris “of, belonging to lines”; see line1, -ar1

Other words from linear

  • lin·e·ar·ly, adverb
  • non·lin·e·ar, adjective
  • sub·lin·e·ar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use linear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for linear

linear

/ (ˈlɪnɪə) /


adjective
  1. of, in, along, or relating to a line

  2. of or relating to length

  1. resembling, represented by, or consisting of a line or lines

  2. having one dimension

  3. designating a style in the arts, esp painting, that obtains its effects through line rather than colour or light and in which the edges of forms and planes are sharply defined: Compare painterly

  4. maths of or relating to the first degree: a linear equation

  5. narrow and having parallel edges: a linear leaf

  6. electronics

    • (of a circuit, etc) having an output that is directly proportional to input: linear amplifier

    • having components arranged in a line

Origin of linear

1
C17: from Latin līneāris of or by means of lines

Derived forms of linear

  • linearity (ˌlɪnɪˈærɪtɪ), noun
  • linearly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for linear

linear

[ lĭnē-ər ]


  1. Being or resembling a line.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.