# polar

/ˈpoʊɫɝ/ (US) · /pˈəʊlɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/polar
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. North or South Pole

adjective · CEFR B1

relating to the North Pole or the South Pole.

For teachers: pertaining to the regions around the North or South Poles of the Earth.

- Polar bears live in the Arctic, where they hunt on the sea ice.
- The expedition faced extreme polar conditions, with temperatures dropping well below freezing and winds reaching gale force across the tundra.

### 2. completely opposite

adjective · CEFR B2

completely different or opposite in every way.

For teachers: occupying opposite extremes; used to describe opinions, personalities, or positions that are diametrically opposed.

- The two brothers have polar personalities; one is shy and the other is very loud.
- The candidates presented polar visions for the country's economic future, leaving undecided voters with a stark choice between two extremes.

### 3. having magnetic poles

adjective · CEFR B2 · Technical

having a positive and a negative end, like a magnet or a battery.

For teachers: possessing or relating to magnetic or electrical poles; characterized by polarity.

- Water is a polar molecule, which helps it dissolve many different substances.
- The researcher explained how the polar nature of the solvent facilitates the separation of ions during the chemical reaction.

### 4. geometry line

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

a special line in geometry that relates to a point and a curve.

For teachers: the straight line joining the points of contact of tangents drawn from a given point to a conic section.

- The teacher asked the students to find the polar of the point with respect to the circle.
- In projective geometry, the relationship between a pole and its polar remains invariant under any non-singular linear transformation.

## Examples

- The polar bear lives in the Arctic.
- Despite being twins, their personalities are polar opposites; one is shy while the other is very outgoing.
- The expedition faced extreme challenges as they navigated the harsh polar environment during the height of the Antarctic winter.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.