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

Times staff writer Deborah Vankin recently explored the practice of walking therapy by taking a hike through Griffith Park with psychotherapist Ismary Colón Angueira, who specializes in the modality. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

Vision, speech, and video models for the modalities the work arrives in. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026

If the research catches up to that intuition, expect sauna use to be marketed to women as a primary modality, with cold used sparingly as an accent. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Hotel spas have become expansive hubs of self-care, providing travelers with a full range of facials and lymphatic drainage massages, plus advanced modalities like infrared saunas, cold plunges, LED beds, oxygen chambers, and cryotherapy. — Lindsay Cohn, Vogue, 7 Oct. 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