polar
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.relating to the North Pole or the South Pole.
adj.pertaining to the regions around the North or South Poles of the Earth.
Simple“Polar bears live in the Arctic, where they hunt on the sea ice.”
In context“The expedition faced extreme polar conditions, with temperatures dropping well below freezing and winds reaching gale force across the tundra.”
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.completely different or opposite in every way.
adj.occupying opposite extremes; used to describe opinions, personalities, or positions that are diametrically opposed.
Simple“The two brothers have polar personalities; one is shy and the other is very loud.”
In context“The candidates presented polar visions for the country's economic future, leaving undecided voters with a stark choice between two extremes.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having a positive and a negative end, like a magnet or a battery.
adj.possessing or relating to magnetic or electrical poles; characterized by polarity.
Simple“Water is a polar molecule, which helps it dissolve many different substances.”
In context“The researcher explained how the polar nature of the solvent facilitates the separation of ions during the chemical reaction.”
SynonymsAntonymsnonpolar - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a special line in geometry that relates to a point and a curve.
n.the straight line joining the points of contact of tangents drawn from a given point to a conic section.
Simple“The teacher asked the students to find the polar of the point with respect to the circle.”
In context“In projective geometry, the relationship between a pole and its polar remains invariant under any non-singular linear transformation.”
Usage polar regions · polar bears
From Late Latin polāris, equivalent to pole + -ar.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.