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

This is a classic pattern: personalization at the front end multiplies combinatorial complexity at the back end. —Stephen Wunker, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Go is considered a non-chance, combinatorial game, in which all moves are visible—again like a novel, and also like our universe, which as Einstein famously said, does not play dice. —Literary Hub, 20 May 2025

But one challenge doing it manually has to do with the underlying combinatorial complexity involved in freight bids. —Edmund Zagorin, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

Catalog instead uses a method called combinatorial assembly, which the company likens to the Gutenberg printing press. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for combinatorial

• ambassadorial
• conspiratorial
• gladiatorial
• gubernatorial
• inquisitorial
• mediatorial
• multifactorial
• prosecutorial
• supratentorial
• arboreal
• armorial
• authorial