perturbation

noun per·tur·ba·tion \ ˌpər-tər-ˈbā-shən , ˌpər-ˌtər- \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of perturbation

1 : the action of perturbing : the state of being perturbed

2 : a disturbance of motion, course, arrangement, or state of equilibrium; especially : a disturbance of the regular and usually elliptical course of motion of a celestial body that is produced by some force additional to that which causes its regular motion

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perturbational

play \ˌpər-tər-ˈbā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl, ˌpər-ˌtər-\ adjective

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Examples of perturbation in a Sentence

a perturbation in the planet's orbit
in her perturbation she kept calling her son, a freshman, to see if everything was all right at college

Recent Examples of perturbation from the Web

Even the smallest perturbation to a complex system (like the weather, the economy or just about anything else) can touch off a concatenation of events that leads to a dramatically divergent future.

— natalie wolchover, WIRED, "Machine Learning’s ‘Amazing’ Ability to Predict Chaos," 21 Apr. 2018
If a perturbation were to jostle this fluid, a gravity wave would result.

— matthew cappucci, Washington Post, "Wicked cool wave clouds crash over Boston area," 6 Apr. 2018
Dr Cuk’s explanation relies on another form of orbital perturbation called an evection.

— The Economist, "Saturn’s rings and several of its moons may be recent creations," 22 Mar. 2018
Around the world, astrophysicists can be found in labs, developing ever more sophisticated set-ups using sound waves that travel just like light waves in strong gravitational fields, or magnets to trigger perturbations in fluids and gases.

— katia moskvitch, WIRED, "To Understand the Universe, Physicists Are Building Their Own," 16 Mar. 2018
For all the affirmation of female interiority in these stories, therefore, Diski also gives us a low hum of dread and perturbation.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "Jenny Diski’s Magic Mirror," 11 Dec. 2017
The pattern of the Trump administration continues to evolve, despite many perturbations, toward a more conventional relationship with the media and the country.

— conrad black, National Review, "Trump: Travails and Opportunities," 24 Oct. 2017
Where the ring particles are shoved together because of perturbations by moons, the particles have to go somewhere.

— stav ziv, Newsweek, "NASA's Cassini: Best Photos of Saturn and its Moons As Spacecraft Prepares for Grand Finale Death Dive," 6 Sep. 2017
One is to use subtle perturbations that make the sign look weathered to a human observer.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "Hacking street signs with stickers could confuse self-driving cars," 1 Sep. 2017

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

First Known Use of perturbation

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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PERTURBATION Defined for English Language Learners

perturbation

noun

Definition of perturbation for English Language Learners

: a change in the normal state or regular movement of something
: the state of being worried or upset

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See words that rhyme with perturbation Britannica English: Translation of perturbation for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about perturbation

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perturbation

Definition of perturbation

perturbational

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perturbation

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perturbation

Definition of perturbation

perturbational

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