Duality

//d(j)uːˈælɪti// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A classification into two subclasses or opposed parts. countable, uncountable

    "moral duality"

  2. 2
    (geometry) the interchangeability of the roles of points and planes in the theorems of projective geometry wordnet
  3. 3
    The interchangeability of points and planes. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    (physics) the property of matter and electromagnetic radiation that is characterized by the fact that some properties can be explained best by wave theory and others by particle theory wordnet
  5. 5
    The mathematical equivalence of two seemingly different theoretical descriptions of a physical system. countable, uncountable

    "wave-particle duality"

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  1. 6
    being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
dichotomydichotomyambiguityambivalencebifurcationconjugation

Example

More examples

"Modern understanding of the dynamics of quantum particles took a non-intuitive turn with the introduction of the particle-wave duality concept."

Etymology

From Latin duālitās. From dual + -ity.

Related phrases

Koszul dualitynon-self-dualityself-dualitywave-particle duality

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.