modality

American  

[moh-dal-i-tee] / moʊˈdæl ɪ ti /

noun

• modalities
  plural

1. the quality or state of being modal.

2. an attribute or circumstance that denotes mode or manner.

3. Also called mode.  Logic. the classification of propositions according to whether they are contingently true or false, possible, impossible, or necessary.

4. Medicine/Medical. the application of a therapeutic agent, usually a physical therapeutic agent.

5. one of the primary forms of sensation, as vision or touch.

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modality British  

/ məʊˈdælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being modal

2. a quality, attribute, or circumstance that denotes mode, mood, or manner

3. logic the property of a statement of being classified under one of the concepts studied by modal logic, esp necessity or possibility

4. any physical or electrical therapeutic method or agency

5. any of the five senses

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multimodality
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• modalities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of modality

From the Medieval Latin word modālitās, dating back to 1610–20. See modal, -ity

Explanation

A modality is the way or mode in which something exists or is done. You might often see it used with reference to diagnostic modality, which is the way in which a disease or illness is diagnosed by a doctor. Modality shares its root with the word mode, meaning "the way in which something happens or is experienced." A sensory modality is a way of sensing, like vision or hearing. Modality in someone's voice gives a sense of the person's mood. In logic, modality has to do with whether a proposition is necessary, possible, or impossible. In general, a modality is a particular way in which something exists.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modality modalities

Moderna and Merck’s promising new cancer vaccine signals the arrival of an exciting new treatment modality.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

A handful of firms pursuing quantum computers use the same modality, such as Google, Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Other players including IBM are focused on a different modality that uses quantum gates, or operations that manipulate the state of quantum bits to solve problems.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

Smart glasses are gaining traction as "that next modality" to follow the success of the smartphone, she added.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

The latter belongs to the principles of modality, which to the determination of causality adds the conception of necessity, which is itself, however, subject to a rule of the understanding.

From The Critique of Pure Reason by John Miller Dow Meiklejohn

That strength ends up spilling over, to some degree, to other truck modalities, such as refrigerated trucks and dry-van trucking, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Here’s why it matters, how to test your ‘balance IQ’ at home and 3 different modalities to train your balance — no special equipment needed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

"We will be working on the modalities - dates, procedures, places - very soon."

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Multiple sensing modalities, however, need to be fused together and agree.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

But though all of these primordial modalities appear in each concept and in all artistic manifestations, the proportion in which each appears is indefinitely variable.

From Delsarte System of Oratory by Various