integral

play

adjective in·te·gral \ ˈin-ti-grəl (usu so in mathematics) ; in-ˈte-grəl also -ˈtē- also nonstandard ˈin-trə-gəl \

Definition of integral

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

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integrality

play \ˌin-tə-ˈgra-lə-tē\ noun

—

integrally

play \ˈin-ti-grə-lē; in-ˈte-grə- also -ˈtē-\ adverb

See integral defined for English-language learners

See integral defined for kids

Examples of integral in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of integral from the Web

Those civilians do everything from aircraft maintenance to base security and are an integral part of the American war effort in the country.

— thomas gibbons-neff, Washington Post, "Afghan troop surge likely to include thousands of paratroopers, Marines and heavy bombers," 30 Aug. 2017
Many of the dance routines suffered from rote choreography, a tacked-on piece of eye candy rather than an integral part of the show.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Lady Gaga brings a rare intimacy to Wrigley Field," 26 Aug. 2017
The junior offensive lineman played 12 games last year and was an integral part of the line.

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "Walton-Verona alum making impact on University of Kentucky football team despite ACL injury," 24 Aug. 2017
With speed and running being such an integral part of his game, the Mariners decided to place him on the disabled list and hope to get him healthy in the day 10-day minimum instead of risking further damage to the groin.

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "Mariners place centerfielder Jarrod Dyson on the disabled list in a series of roster moves," 19 Aug. 2017
PayPalOn August 15, the Southern Poverty Law Center revealed that PayPal has played an integral part in how the white nationalist groups that rallied in Charlottesville raised funds.

— Teen Vogue, "How Tech Companies Are Taking a Stand After Charlottesville," 17 Aug. 2017
Very smart cloud-robots will be an integral part of our world in the not-too-distant future.

— bill huang, Scientific American Blog Network, "Robots with Their Heads in the Clouds," 2 Aug. 2017
Forging a route into the continent is integral to Xi’s plan to build a modern-day Silk Road to carve out new export markets for local businesses as the Chinese economy slows.

— james m gomez, Bloomberg.com, "China's New Silk Road Encroaches on U.S. Turf in Eastern Europe," 12 July 2017
In his lone year with the Bulls, Rondo moved in and out of the rotation under coach Fred Hoiberg, sometimes garnering significant playing time and an integral role in the offense, and other times he was relegated to the bench.

— usa today sports, The Courier-Journal, "Chicago Bulls release point guard Rajon Rondo," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'integral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of integral

see integer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1551

See Words from the same year

integral Synonyms

Synonyms

built-in, constitutional, constitutive, essential, hardwired, immanent, inborn, inbred, indigenous, ingrain, ingrained (also engrained), innate, inherent, intrinsic, native, natural

Antonyms

adventitious, extraneous, extrinsic

Related Words

basic, deep-rooted, elemental, fundamental; congenital, hereditary, inherited, inmost, inner, interior; internal; characteristic, distinctive, peculiar; habitual, inveterate; normal, regular, typical

Near Antonyms

alien, foreign; accidental, coincidental, incidental; acquired, adscititious; superficial, surface; exterior, external

integral

play

noun in·te·gral \ ˈin-ti-grəl (usu so in mathematics) ; in-ˈte-grəl also -ˈtē- also nonstandard ˈin-trə-gəl \

Definition of integral

:the result of a mathematical integration — compare definite integral, indefinite integral

Examples of integral in a Sentence

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