polymorphism
n. C / Un. the ability of something to exist in several different forms or shapes. In biology, it describes different types of the same species, and in computer science, it means one piece of code can work with different types of data.
n. the occurrence of several different forms or stages in an organism or a mathematical object. In computer science, it refers to the provision of a single interface to entities of different types.
The different colors of these butterflies are an example of polymorphism.
In object-oriented programming, polymorphism allows a single function to behave differently depending on the class of the object it is called upon.
Genetic polymorphism within a population provides the raw material for natural selection, allowing species to adapt to shifting environmental pressures over successive generations.
From poly- + -morphism.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Uncountable when referring to the general concept; countable when referring to specific instances or types.
Last updated July 22, 2026