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
Lyall Watson
nonlinearly
adverb
Examples of nonlinear in a Sentence
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The writer spoke frequently about William Faulkner’s influence on his work, and that influence is felt in this novel’s nonlinear motion and its confident deployment of multiple perspectives.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The reality — and the science — is clear that learning is a messy, nonlinear human development process that resists efficiency.
—Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
Talos’ milkshake moment was inspired by Reservoir Dogs, but did Pulp Fiction inspire Freaky Tales’ nonlinear chaptered storytelling involving disparate characters who collide with one another?
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
This allows laser light to interact with the electrons inside the material in a nonlinear way that keeps their phases in sync.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonlinear
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Dwight Garner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The reality — and the science — is clear that learning is a messy, nonlinear human development process that resists efficiency.
—Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2025
Talos’ milkshake moment was inspired by Reservoir Dogs, but did Pulp Fiction inspire Freaky Tales’ nonlinear chaptered storytelling involving disparate characters who collide with one another?
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
This allows laser light to interact with the electrons inside the material in a nonlinear way that keeps their phases in sync.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonlinear
Cite this Entry
“Nonlinear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonlinear. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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