nonlinear

adjective

non·​lin·​e·​ar ˌnän-ˈli-nē-ər 

: not linear

nonlinear thinking

a nonlinear narrative

… I was already interested in the nonlinear manner in which ideas and fashions travel through our culture …

—Lyall Watson

nonlinearity

ˌnän-ˌli-nē-ˈer-ə-tē 

-ˈa-rə-

noun

plural nonlinearities

nonlinearly adverb

Examples of nonlinear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their story is told in a nonlinear fashion, with the actors jumping between time frames throughout the nearly two-hour runtime. — Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 16 July 2026

The result is a meditative action movie both immense and intimate, albeit one whose flow is impeded by the inherently episodic nature of the nonlinear source material and some questionable casting choices. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026

For many families, the road to recovery is nonlinear. — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 20 June 2026

Change is nonlinear Groucutt argues that this tendency to focus on a single perspective can hinder a comprehensive understanding. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nonlinear

• mynheer
• seignior
• signior
• bilinear
• collinear
• nonnuclear
• overseer
• curvilinear
• interlinear
• rectilinear
• dier
• freer