modality

noun

mo·​dal·​i·​ty mō-ˈda-lə-tē 

plural modalities

1

a

: the quality or state of being modal

b

: a modal quality or attribute : form

2

: the classification of logical propositions (see proposition sense 1) according to their asserting or denying the possibility, impossibility, contingency, or necessity of their content

3

: one of the main avenues of sensation (such as vision)

4

: a usually physical therapeutic agency

Examples of modality in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While not affiliated with any specific modality, the sound bath inside the Atwater Village branch of Mattress Central has a cult-like following. —Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026

So these modalities – molecule, protein, antibody or gene – are very different types of molecules. —Benjamin P. Brown, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2026

Whether leaders personally agree with every modality is not the point. —Sonia Singh, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026

In a perspective article accompanying Villar’s paper in Science, Anna Di Cosmo, a professor of biology at the University of Naples, writes that chemosensation is one of the most ancient sensory modalities on Earth. —Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for modality

• banality
• bestiality
• brutality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• fatality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality

Medical Definition

modality

noun

mo·​dal·​i·​ty mō-ˈdal-ət-ē 

plural modalities

1

: one of the main avenues of sensation (as vision)

2

a

: a usually physical therapeutic agency

b

: an apparatus for applying a modality