extensional

adjective

ex·​ten·​sion·​al ik-ˈsten(t)-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce extensional (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or marked by extension
specifically : denotative
2
: concerned with objective reality
extensionality noun
extensionally adverb

Examples of extensional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This back-and-forth positioning done in hanging knees to elbow runners simultaneously becomes an extreme anti-rotational and anti-extensional challenge. Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 8 Sep. 2022 This freezing would pause as heat from radioactivity became a major factor, and resume as radioactive elements broke down, slowly creating extensional structures over time. Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, 23 June 2020 The researchers used thermal model simulations and photographic evidence of extensional faults taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, to come up with their findings. Fox News, 23 June 2020 The team only found evidence of extensional features—both ancient and modern—which suggests that a short, violent birth could have given way to an early ocean. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 23 June 2020 In that scenario, the liquid ocean would slowly freeze over time, although not completely, and cause the extensional faults seen by New Horizons in Pluto's icy crust. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 22 June 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of extensional was in 1647

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Cite this Entry

“Extensional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extensional. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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