nonlinear
adjective
non·lin·e·ar
ˌnän-ˈli-nē-ər 
: not linear
nonlinear thinking
a nonlinear narrative
… I was already interested in the nonlinear manner in which ideas and fashions travel through our culture …—
Lyall Watson
Lyall Watson
nonlinearly
adverb
Examples of nonlinear in a Sentence
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The film fuses blues music, gothic horror, nonlinear storytelling and themes of racial oppression into the story of identical twin brothers — Smoke and Stack — who return to their Mississippi hometown to bring music and culture to their local Black community.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
The new approach moves beyond linear models by using Gaussian process regression, a technique capable of mapping complex nonlinear relationships with limited data.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026
The project sat in relative limbo until 2024 as prospective producers balked at the dark subject matter and nonlinear storytelling, deeming the movie unmarketable.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
These shifts impacted each organization differently in nonlinear ways, varying by country and sector.
—John M. Bremen, Forbes.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonlinear
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Martha Ross, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
The new approach moves beyond linear models by using Gaussian process regression, a technique capable of mapping complex nonlinear relationships with limited data.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026
The project sat in relative limbo until 2024 as prospective producers balked at the dark subject matter and nonlinear storytelling, deeming the movie unmarketable.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
These shifts impacted each organization differently in nonlinear ways, varying by country and sector.
—John M. Bremen, Forbes.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonlinear
Cite this Entry
“Nonlinear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonlinear. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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