linear

adjective

lin·​e·​ar ˈli-nē-ər 

1

a(1)

: of, relating to, resembling, or having a graph that is a line and especially a straight line : straight

(2)

: involving a single dimension

b(1)

: of the first degree with respect to one or more variables

(2)

: of, relating to, based on, or being linear equations, linear differential equations, linear functions, linear transformations, or linear algebra

c(1)

: characterized by an emphasis on line

linear art

(2)

: composed of simply drawn lines with little attempt at pictorial representation

linear script

d

: consisting of a straight chain of atoms

a linear molecule

2

: elongated with nearly parallel sides

linear leaf

see leaf illustration

3

: having or being a response or output that is directly proportional to the input

4

: of, relating to, or based or depending on sequential development

linear thinking

a linear narrative

linearity

ˌli-nē-ˈer-ə-tē 

-ˈa-rə-

noun

linearly

ˈli-nē-ər-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• direct
• right
• straight
• straightaway
• straightforward

Examples of linear in a Sentence

a flat, almost linear horizon

the bullets from early firearms were notorious for not following a strictly linear path through the air

Recent Examples on the Web

Comcast is considering spinning off its cable network business, which includes USA Network, MSNBC, Syfy and Bravo, as the media giant grapples with the changes in the linear television industry. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

While Venu’s backers have promoted the service as being something new, the lower court asserted that the concept was actually not new, and was also merely an aggregation of 15 linear network feeds. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024

Monk shared that, by some industry estimates, only a small fraction of premium streaming is ad-supported as an example of why linear TV is important for broad reach. —Andrea Wasserman, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

The Relentless Cost of Chronic Disease Healing isn’t linear The trajectory for many illnesses is to get sick, get rest, get better. —Alana Kaufman, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing linear

• linear accelerator
• linear algebra
• linear combination
• linear dependence
• linear equation
• linear function
• linear independence
• linear interpolation
• linear measure
• linear motor
• linear perspective
• linear programming
• linear regression
• linear space
• linear transformation

Kids Definition

linear

adjective

lin·​ear

ˈlin-ē-ər

1

a

: relating to, consisting of, or resembling a line : straight

b

: involving a single dimension

c

: of, relating to, based on, or being linear equations or linear functions

2

: long and uniformly narrow

the linear leaf of the hyacinth

linearity

ˌlin-ē-ˈar-ət-ē

noun

linearly

ˈlin-ē-ər-lē

adverb

Medical Definition

linear

adjective

lin·​ear ˈlin-ē-ər 

: of, relating to, or resembling a line

linearity

ˌlin-ē-ˈar-ət-ē 

noun

plural linearities

linearly

ˈlin-ē-ər-lē 

adverb