nonlinearity.

1. The failure of a relation or system to preserve the linear combination of inputs in the relevant mathematical sense.

2. Organization that does not follow one successive order, especially a straightforward chronology.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• nonlinearity of a response
• nonlinear system behavior

On the page

Nonlinearity of the response meant that doubling the input did not simply double the measured output.

The researchers tested whether nonlinearity accounted for the interaction between the two inputs.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: definition, comparison, qualification, causal analysis. Disciplines: academic writing, institutional analysis, general research. Commonness: uncommon.