aperiodic
adjective
ape·ri·od·ic
ˌā-ˌpir-ē-ˈä-dik 
1
: of irregular occurrence : not periodic
aperiodic floods
2
: not having periodic vibrations : not oscillatory
Synonyms
Examples of aperiodic in a Sentence
released aperiodic reports on the results of their cancer research
Recent Examples on the Web
Although Berger and others were able to bring down the size of these aperiodic sets significantly, in the mid-1970s Roger Penrose captured the world’s attention by discovering very small sets of his own aperiodic tiles.
—
Quanta Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
Mathematicians have proved that this hierarchical structure means the tiling can't be split into repeating sections and thus must be aperiodic.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 22 June 2023
The search for an aperiodic monotile appears to have come to an end.
—Quanta Magazine, 23 May 2023
The hat is actually one of an infinite family of aperiodic tiles!
—Quanta Magazine, 23 May 2023
The culprit: the unpredictable, nonrepeating nature of aperiodic tilings.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023
Now, picture those neat rows replaced by an apparently random jumble of blocks, and voila — aperiodic decor.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
In 1973, Oxford mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose set the bar at two tiles — by organizing a pair of shapes called kites and darts in aperiodic fashion.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
The hat and turtle tilings looked strikingly similar, making the researchers suspect that the turtle was also aperiodic.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 4 Apr. 2023
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Quanta Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
Mathematicians have proved that this hierarchical structure means the tiling can't be split into repeating sections and thus must be aperiodic.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 22 June 2023
The search for an aperiodic monotile appears to have come to an end.
—Quanta Magazine, 23 May 2023
The hat is actually one of an infinite family of aperiodic tiles!
—Quanta Magazine, 23 May 2023
The culprit: the unpredictable, nonrepeating nature of aperiodic tilings.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023
Now, picture those neat rows replaced by an apparently random jumble of blocks, and voila — aperiodic decor.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
In 1973, Oxford mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose set the bar at two tiles — by organizing a pair of shapes called kites and darts in aperiodic fashion.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
The hat and turtle tilings looked strikingly similar, making the researchers suspect that the turtle was also aperiodic.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 4 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aperiodic.' 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
1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near aperiodic
Cite this Entry
“Aperiodic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aperiodic. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Medical Definition
aperiodic
adjective
ape·ri·od·ic
ˌā-ˌpir-ē-ˈäd-ik
1
: of irregular occurrence
2
: not having periodic vibrations : not oscillatory
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