multivalence

noun

mul·​tiv·​a·​lence ˌməl-ˈti-və-lən(t)s How to pronounce multivalence (audio)
: the quality or state of having many values, meanings, or appeals

Examples of multivalence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From the earliest work to the last, Duras retained her enigmatic multivalence. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Dec. 2022 There is an anarchic edge and deliberate multivalence of expression even in the most geometric and minimal kinds of abstract painting. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2022 As Saturday’s vocal soloist, Nicole Cabell eloquently projected this sense of multivalence, her soprano blooming brightly with the work’s poetic contours. Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 The playful language of chance and multivalence, suggestive of new possibilities, replaces them. John Zotos, Dallas News, 27 Feb. 2020 Its multivalence lies in its artful blending of the conventions of musical theater, opera, and jazz, yet also in its blending of sardonic social critique and autobiography. Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2018 The works of music in 2016 that seemed most representative of their time all suggested, in some way, a positive state of unfinishedness or multivalence, through either the music itself or the creator, or both. Ben Ratliff, Esquire, 2 Dec. 2016

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of multivalence was circa 1882

Dictionary Entries Near multivalence

Cite this Entry

“Multivalence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multivalence. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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