inverse
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.the exact opposite of something else.
n.the direct opposite or reverse of a given state, condition, or proposition.
Simple“The results of the second experiment were the exact inverse of the first.”
In context“The new policy produced an outcome that was the functional inverse of what the committee had originally intended to achieve.”
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.a number or element that cancels out another one when you use them together in a calculation.
n.an element which, when combined with another under a specific binary operation, yields the identity element.
Simple“To solve the equation, you need to find the inverse of the matrix.”
In context“The student struggled to calculate the multiplicative inverse of the fraction, failing to realise it simply required inverting the numerator and denominator.”
UsageIn arithmetic, the additive inverse of 5 is -5.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
adj.opposite in position, direction, or the way it works.
adj.reversed in position, order, or relation; often used to describe a relationship where one value increases as another decreases.
Simple“There is an inverse relationship between the price of the product and how many people buy it.”
In context“The researchers noted an inverse correlation between the amount of sleep participants received and their reported stress levels the following morning.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'inverse relationship'.
Usage inverse proportion · inverse relationship
“Newton originally developed the inverse square relation to describe motion within the Solar System.”
“Yet here it's the inverse: The Sirens are sitting in the middle of this field surrounded by bones—all men's bones," Tran said.”
Recorded since 1440, from Latin inversus, the past participle of invertere (“to invert”), itself from in- (“reverse, reciprocal”) + vertere (“to turn”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.