non-Euclidean

[ non-yoo-klid-ee-uhn ]

adjective

1. differing from the postulates of Euclid or based upon postulates other than those of Euclid.

non-Euclidean

/ nŏn′yo̅o̅-klĭd′ē-ən /

1. Relating to any of several modern geometries that are based on a set of postulates other than the set proposed by Euclid, especially one in which all of the postulates of Euclidean geometry hold except the parallel postulate .
2. Compare Euclidean

Word History and Origins

Origin of non-Euclidean¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

At its best, cosmic horror makes viewers feel as if they are tiny, powerless creatures facing something — a being, a concept, Lovecraft’s beloved non-Euclidean geometry — whose scope is so great that it is disconcertingly, disturbingly hard to grasp.

From New York Times

“He’s actually a very sensible guy with a slightly non-Euclidean sense of humor,” Mr. Rubenstein said.

From New York Times

The instrumental “Mess Mend,” by the Baltimore band Horse Lords, starts out skewed — with chords from a slightly detuned piano hitting unevenly on offbeats — and gets nuttier from there, with a tricky 7/4 meter, a guitar melody that suggests a non-Euclidean hoedown and a gradual devolution into a funky electronic drone, not to mention a final twist.

From New York Times

Almodóvarian geometry is hyperbolic, non-Euclidean, kinked and convoluted.

From New York Times

Orwell understood, however, that politics is not a scientific endeavor, but rather “a sort of sub-atomic or non-Euclidean world” where perception could prevail over substance, sometimes dangerously, and sometimes lastingly.

From Washington Post