inverse

1 of 2

adjective

in·​verse (ˌ)in-ˈvərs How to pronounce inverse (audio)
ˈin-ˌvərs
1
: opposite in order, nature, or effect
2
: being an inverse function
inverse sine

inverse

2 of 2

noun

1
: something of a contrary nature or quality : opposite, reverse
2
: a proposition or theorem formed by contradicting both the subject and predicate or both the hypothesis and conclusion of a given proposition or theorem
the inverse of "if A then B" is "if not-A then not-B"
compare contrapositive
3
a
: inverse function
also : an operation (such as subtraction) that undoes the effect of another operation
b
: a set element that is related to another element in such a way that the result of applying a given binary operation to them is an identity element of the set

Examples of inverse in a Sentence

Adjective Addition and subtraction are inverse operations. Noun the inverse of your argument
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
This type of imaging inverse problem is known as ghost imaging or single-pixel imaging, which was considered to be a quantum effect, was independently explored as dual photography, and can be accelerated by compressive sensing. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 23 Jan. 2024 Beginning in 1989, gaming revenue in Vegas began to drop in inverse proportion to non-gaming revenue, which included money spent on entertainment, shopping and dining, said UNLV’s Feldman. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023 Overall, however, there’s a very strong inverse correlation between a state’s population change since 2020 and its freedom rank. Steve H. Hanke, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023 Those systems included an acoustic model, a language model, a pronunciation model, a weighted finite state transducer, and an inverse text normalizer. IEEE Spectrum, 3 Mar. 2024 Block model grades within the wireframe models were interpolated by inverse distance cubed (ID3). Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024 In the second type, there is an inverse relationship. Ilia Kiselevich, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 So they were meant to be kind of inverse versions of each other a little bit. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023 The post-pandemic recovery challenged long-standing economic beliefs, such as the idea of an inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation. David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2024
Noun
In some ways Montana’s new look was the inverse of Dior’s, with the width at top, narrowing at the bottom, with a waist emphasis—but their starting points were worlds apart. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 The show is something of an inverse of the movie: Rather than a married couple discovering each other’s real job as a rival assassin, Glover and Erskine will play two people recruited for a spy agency and told to pose as a couple. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Dec. 2023 But the inverse is true: Russia could only invade Ukraine because it was not covered by NATO’s Article 5. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024 But Severson takes a different perspective: The hubs are the inverse of a typical pre-pandemic office, which was mostly individual workstations, with small pockets of collaborative space. Jane Thier, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2024 That’s the inverse of what happened a few years ago. Aly J. Yale, wsj.com, 28 Nov. 2023 In some ways, the matter resembles an inverse, if miniature, version of the uproar over Bud Light sending a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Ben Finley, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2023 The chartreuse stripe, which is the inverse of lavender, represents third-gender identities and identities that do not fall within the gender binary.10 14. Claire Gillespie, Health, 13 Dec. 2023 The nightmare inverse of this dream is a reality of war. Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 16 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inverse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, turned upside down, from Latin inversus, from past participle of invertere

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inverse was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near inverse

Cite this Entry

“Inverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inverse. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inverse

1 of 2 adjective
in·​verse (ˈ)in-ˈvərs How to pronounce inverse (audio)
ˈin-vərs
1
: opposite in order, nature, or effect
an inverse relationship between interest rates and houses sold
2
: being a mathematical operation opposite in effect to another
addition and subtraction are inverse operations

inverse

2 of 2 noun
in·​verse
ˈin-ˌvərs,
(ˈ)in-ˈvərs
: something inverse or resulting in or from inversion
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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