multivalent

adjective

mul·​ti·​va·​lent ˌməl-tē-ˈvā-lənt  -ˌtī- 

especially in sense 3

ˌməl-ˈti-və- 

1

: polyvalent

2

: represented more than twice in the somatic chromosome number

multivalent chromosomes

3

: having many values, meanings, or appeals

multivalent noun

Examples of multivalent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some find the last scene ambiguous, multivalent; some dark; others comic. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026

Instead, their thinking goes, taking this multivalent approach should provide good protection against severe disease. — Alice Park, TIME, 10 Jan. 2025

Taken as a whole, the collage tells a multifaceted story of a multivalent, essential space, albeit one with perhaps some questionable karma. — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 2 May 2025

Rapid amyloid-β clearance and cognitive recovery through multivalent modulation of blood–brain barrier transport. — Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for multivalent

• hexavalent
• monovalent
• pentavalent
• polyvalent
• tetravalent
• univalent
• assailant
• covalent
• divalent
• inhalant

Medical Definition

multivalent

1 of 2 adjective

mul·​ti·​va·​lent ˌməl-ti-ˈvā-lənt  -ˌtī- 

1

: polyvalent

2

: represented more than twice in the somatic chromosome number

multivalent chromosomes

multivalent

2 of 2 noun

: a multivalent group of chromosomes