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

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

The combinatorial space for the yeast genome — natural or synthetic — is vast; exploring it and tweaking each genetic component individually to understand its purpose and context is impractically slow. —Quanta Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024

The challenge, then, lies in selecting the best move amid this vast combinatorial complexity. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024

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