combinatorial

adjective

com·​bi·​na·​to·​ri·​al ˌkäm-bə-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 

kəm-ˌbī-nə-, 

-(ˌ)bi-

1

: of, relating to, or involving combinations

2

: of or relating to the arrangement of, operation on, and selection of discrete mathematical elements belonging to finite sets or making up geometric configurations

combinatorially

ˌkäm-bə-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē 

kəm-ˌbī-nə-, 

-(ˌ)bi-

adverb

Examples of combinatorial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And more recently, a new general-purpose AI system from OpenAI disproved an important conjecture in combinatorial geometry. — Benjamin Skuse, IEEE Spectrum, 25 June 2026

But mathematical interest in card shuffling goes beyond its combinatorial complexity. — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 17 June 2026

An OpenAI reasoning model recently overturned a conjecture Paul Erdős posed in 1946, toppling an eighty-year assumption in combinatorial geometry by importing machinery from algebraic number theory — two fields with no obvious reason to meet. — Christian Catalini, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

In May, OpenAI solved the unit distance problem — one of Erdős’s most famous open questions in combinatorial geometry, unsolved since 1946. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for combinatorial

• categorial
• curatorial
• dictatorial
• directorial
• editorial
• equatorial
• immemorial
• infusorial
• janitorial
• professorial
• reportorial
• senatorial