reversed in position, order, direction, or tendency.
Mathematics.
(of a proportion) containing terms of which an increase in one results in a decrease in another. A term is said to be in inverse proportion to another term if it increases (or decreases) as the other decreases (or increases).
of or relating to an inverse function.Compare direct (def. 16).
inverted; turned upside down.
noun
an inverted state or condition.
something that is inverse; the direct opposite.
Mathematics.
an element of an algebraic system, as a group, corresponding to a given element such that its product or sum with the given element is the identity element.
inverse function.
a point related to a given point so that it is situated on the same radius, extended if necessary, of a given circle or sphere and so that the product of the distances of the two points from the center equals the square of the radius of the circle or sphere.
the set of such inverses of the points of a given set, as the points on a curve.
verb (used with object),in·versed,in·vers·ing.
to invert.
Origin of inverse
1605–15; <Latin inversus, past participle of invertere to turn upside down or inside out, reverse. See in-2, verse
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH inverse
converse, inverse , obverse, reverse
Words nearby inverse
Invercargill, Inverclyde, Inver Grove Heights, Inverness, Inverness-shire, inverse, inverse cosecant, inverse cosine, inverse cotangent, inverse function, inverse image
Just as the pandemic has forced many companies to lay off employees, others have enjoyed an inverse trajectory.
How 2020 Best Small Workplace YNAB recruits and retains great people|lbelanger225|October 16, 2020|Fortune
Research in the 1960s found an inverse relationship between emotional involvement with a city and the estimate of how far away it was.
How border walls trick the human brain and psyche|Jessica Wapner|October 2, 2020|Popular Science
Somehow, the brevity of the message creates an inverse potential for misunderstanding.
What Would Jane Eyre Sext?|Jennie Yabroff|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is an inverse Pietà, and something of a sexual anarchist; she ardently refuses to be oriented in an orientation.
Is Bigger Better for St. Vincent?|David Yaffe|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The meme is the inverse of Harvey Milk: you gotta take away all their hope.
D.C. Needs a Grassroots Fix That Will Come When Left and Right Find Common Ground|Lawrence Lessig|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is an inverse correlation at play: the nicer a man appears, the greater his cruelty behind closed doors.
American Dreams, 1963: ‘The Group’ by Mary McCarthy|Nathaniel Rich|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whatever the answer, the inverse desire for unlikable characters—truly despicable ones—is interesting.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 28, 2013|Jen Vafidis|May 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is obviously wrong to say that they vary in inverse proportion.
Logic, Inductive and Deductive|William Minto
The attraction of love, I find, is in an inverse proportion to the attraction of the Newtonian philosophy.
The Letters of Robert Burns|Robert Burns
At these times the Callisto recoiled slightly also, the resulting motion in either being in inverse ratio to its weight.
A Journey in Other Worlds|John Jacob Astor
Needed most in the poorest home, the help of the grandmother is often appreciated in inverse ratio to the income.
The Family and it's Members|Anna Garlin Spencer
All, then, that we could say would be, that the Inverse Probability was somewhat against him.
The Color Line|William Benjamin Smith
British Dictionary definitions for inverse
inverse
/ (ɪnˈvɜːs, ˈɪnvɜːs) /
adjective
opposite or contrary in effect, sequence, direction, etc
maths
(of a relationship) containing two variables such that an increase in one results in a decrease in the otherthe volume of a gas is in inverse ratio to its pressure
(of an element) operating on a specified member of a set to produce the identity of the set: the additive inverse element of x is –x, the multiplicative inverse element of x is 1/x
(usually prenominal)upside-down; invertedin an inverse position
noun
maths
another name for reciprocal (def. 7)
an inverse element
logica categorial proposition derived from another by changing both the proposition and its subject from affirmative to negative, or vice versa, as all immortals are angels from no mortals are angels
Derived forms of inverse
inversely, adverb
Word Origin for inverse
C17: from Latin inversus, from invertere to invert
Relating to a mathematical operation whose nature or effect is the opposite of another operation. For example, addition and subtraction are inverse operations, as are multiplication and division.
Noun
An inverse operation. Subtraction is the inverse of addition.
Either of a pair of elements in a set whose result under the mathematical operation of the set is the identity element. For example, the inverse of 5 under multiplication is 15, since 5 X 15 = 1, the identity element under multiplication. The inverse of 5 under addition is -5, since 5 + -5 = 0.