in·te·gral
in-ˈte-grəl
(usually so in mathematics)
ˈin-ti-grəl
in-ˈte-grəl
also -ˈtē-,
also nonstandard ˈin-trə-gəl
1
a
: essential to completeness : constituent
an integral part of the curriculum
b(1)
: being, containing, or relating to one or more mathematical integers
(2)
: relating to or concerned with mathematical integration or the results of mathematical integration
c
: formed as a unit with another part
a seat with integral headrest
2
: composed of constituent parts
3
: lacking nothing essential : entire
in·te·gral
ˈin-ti-grəl
: the result of a mathematical integration compare definite integral, indefinite integral
Synonyms
Examples of integral in a Sentence
Adjective
I do know that shoot-'em-ups (and saw-'em-ups) are likely to remain part of our lives, and that suggests a depressing idea: Maybe the love of violence is an integral part of human nature …
—
Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Oct. 2007
Stuffed with peanut butter, celery is the quintessential after-school snack; diced, it provides an essential crunch to chicken and potato salads; buttered up, it is an integral part of Thanksgiving stuffing.
—Sara Dickerman, New York Times Magazine, 3 Sept. 2006
Sitting out on the grass … watching the freight trains roll by on the levee at two in the morning, drinking a beer and listening to the music drifting out of the club, is an integral part of the whole experience.
—Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005
She had become an integral part of their lives.
a car dealer respected for his integral honesty and straightforwardness with customers
Noun
The main tools used in the study of these functions are those we have already discussed: representation as integrals, power-series expansions, and differential equations.
—Robert S. Strichartz, The Way of Analysis, 2000
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Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Oct. 2007
Stuffed with peanut butter, celery is the quintessential after-school snack; diced, it provides an essential crunch to chicken and potato salads; buttered up, it is an integral part of Thanksgiving stuffing.
—Sara Dickerman, New York Times Magazine, 3 Sept. 2006
Sitting out on the grass … watching the freight trains roll by on the levee at two in the morning, drinking a beer and listening to the music drifting out of the club, is an integral part of the whole experience.
—Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005
She had become an integral part of their lives.
a car dealer respected for his integral honesty and straightforwardness with customers
Noun
The main tools used in the study of these functions are those we have already discussed: representation as integrals, power-series expansions, and differential equations.
—Robert S. Strichartz, The Way of Analysis, 2000
See More
Recent Examples on the WebGordon Cox, Variety, 21 Sep. 2023
From internal training to sharing news and resources, curiosity is integral to our company culture.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2023
In the book, Alicia’s grandmother is integral to her spiritual development.
—Hazlitt, 20 Sep. 2023
Instead, his department tries to limit firefighter exposure to gear that’s been integral to firefighter identity.
—Michael Casey, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023
On the court: Hall will again be an integral part of the Raiders’ attack this season.
—Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2023
Brad Whitford, 71 Rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford has been an integral part of Aerosmith since replacing founding member Ray Tabano in 1971.
—Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023
Hip-hop has grown into a global artform, becoming one of the world’s most influential cultural forces, an integral part of social and racial justice movements and a multibillion-dollar industry built on generations of rapping, emceeing, deejaying, breaking, and graffiti.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
But while Modi made Gandhi an integral part of the G20 summit this weekend, the freedom fighter’s legacy within Modi’s own Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains complicated.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN, 10 Sep. 2023
Daniel Mollenkamp, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023
The most powerful formula in physics starts with a slender S, the symbol for a sort of sum known as an integral.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Feb. 2023
The trick is to expand the integral from one to two dimensions.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2023
The oracular formula is known as the Feynman path integral.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Feb. 2023
The cutoff independent physics, defined by the Euclidean functional integral over the 4-sphere admits only a finite number of instantons.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2012
The path integral is a way of describing a particle's travels in terms of a quantum superposition of all possible routes.
—Ahmed Almheiri, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022
However, the real winners are the individuals, creators and brands making this integral to their business model(s).
—Nathaniel Hunter, Forbes, 15 July 2022
Both Croot and Bloom broke the integral into parts and proved that one main term was large and positive, and that all the other terms (which could sometimes be negative) were too small to make a meaningful difference.
—Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2022
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Adjective
The musical is produced by Steven Spielberg, Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron, who were all integral to getting the series onscreen (Spielberg and Meron as producers and Greenblatt as then-chairman of NBC).
—Gordon Cox, Variety, 21 Sep. 2023
From internal training to sharing news and resources, curiosity is integral to our company culture.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2023
In the book, Alicia’s grandmother is integral to her spiritual development.
—Hazlitt, 20 Sep. 2023
Instead, his department tries to limit firefighter exposure to gear that’s been integral to firefighter identity.
—Michael Casey, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023
On the court: Hall will again be an integral part of the Raiders’ attack this season.
—Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2023
Brad Whitford, 71 Rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford has been an integral part of Aerosmith since replacing founding member Ray Tabano in 1971.
—Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023
Hip-hop has grown into a global artform, becoming one of the world’s most influential cultural forces, an integral part of social and racial justice movements and a multibillion-dollar industry built on generations of rapping, emceeing, deejaying, breaking, and graffiti.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
But while Modi made Gandhi an integral part of the G20 summit this weekend, the freedom fighter’s legacy within Modi’s own Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains complicated.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN, 10 Sep. 2023
Noun
Over the past decade, UCLA revamped its calculus for life sciences courses, focusing them more strictly on math concepts and real-world biological questions, rather than on procedural rules for derivatives and integrals – which its advocates describe as a paradigm shift for calculus instruction.
—Daniel Mollenkamp, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023
The most powerful formula in physics starts with a slender S, the symbol for a sort of sum known as an integral.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Feb. 2023
The trick is to expand the integral from one to two dimensions.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2023
The oracular formula is known as the Feynman path integral.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Feb. 2023
The cutoff independent physics, defined by the Euclidean functional integral over the 4-sphere admits only a finite number of instantons.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2012
The path integral is a way of describing a particle's travels in terms of a quantum superposition of all possible routes.
—Ahmed Almheiri, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022
However, the real winners are the individuals, creators and brands making this integral to their business model(s).
—Nathaniel Hunter, Forbes, 15 July 2022
Both Croot and Bloom broke the integral into parts and proved that one main term was large and positive, and that all the other terms (which could sometimes be negative) were too small to make a meaningful difference.
—Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'integral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing integral
Dictionary Entries Near integral
Cite this Entry
“Integral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integral. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
integral
adjective
in·te·gral
ˈint-i-grəl (,
usually so in mathematics );
in-ˈteg-rəl,
also -ˈtēg-
1
: needed for completeness
a lens is an integral part of a camera
2
: of or relating to an integer
9 is an integral factor of 72
3
: made up of components that together make a whole
an integral locking system
4
: lacking nothing essential : entire
integrally
adverb
ˈint-i-grə-lē;
in-ˈteg-rə-
also -ˈtēg-
More from Merriam-Webster on integral
Nglish: Translation of integral for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of integral for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about integral
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