conformal

adjective

con·​for·​mal kən-ˈfȯr-məl 

(ˌ)kän-

1

: leaving the size of the angle between corresponding curves unchanged

conformal transformation

2

of a map : representing small areas in their true shape

Examples of conformal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And even if Israel’s F-35I Adir variants do now have conformal fuel tanks, Israel will likely still need tankers for future operations at comparable distances. —Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Interactions between particles there are governed only by a version of quantum mechanics called conformal field theory, or CFT. —Lyndie Chiou, Wired News, 20 Apr. 2025

To set up conformal prediction, researchers collect a calibration set containing spectra and their true identities. —Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2025

The party never stops Perhaps all this overwhelming negativity regarding the end of the Universe is what prompted Nobel laureate Roger Penrose in 2010 to propose a completely different mechanism for the long-term fate of the Universe, something dubbed conformal cyclic cosmology, or CCC. —Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025

From the flat perspective, the universe is made up only of particles obeying a quantum theory known as a conformal field theory (that’s the CFT of AdS/CFT). —Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin conformalis having the same shape, from Latin com- + formalis formal, from forma

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for conformal

• abnormal
• informal
• lognormal
• nonformal
• subnormal
• formal
• formyl
• orthonormal
• paranormal
• supernormal

Kids Definition

conformal

adjective

con·​for·​mal kən-ˈfȯr-məl 

(ˈ)kän-

: representing small areas in their true shape

a conformal map