digital

[ dij-i-tl ]

adjective

1. displaying a readout in numerical digits rather than by a pointer or hands on a dial:

   a digital speedometer;

   a digital watch.

2. of, relating to, or using numerical calculations.
3. of, relating to, or using data in the form of numerical digits:

   a digital image;

   digital devices.

4. involving or using numerical digits expressed in a scale of notation, usually in the binary system, to represent discretely all variables occurring in a problem.
5. available in electronic form; readable and manipulable by computer:

   Scan these two pages so you'll have them as a digital document.

6. pertaining to, noting, or making use of computers and computerized technologies, including the internet:

   We are living in an increasingly digital world.

   Digital activism uses social media to achieve political reform.

   His blog is a great example of digital journalism.

   Digital technology has revolutionized the music industry.

7. of or relating to a digit or finger.
8. resembling a digit or finger.
9. manipulated with a finger or the fingertips:

   a digital switch.

10. having fingers or digitlike parts.

noun

1. one of the keys or finger levers of keyboard instruments.

digital

/ ˈdɪdʒɪtəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, resembling, or possessing a digit or digits
2. performed with the fingers
3. representing data as a series of numerical values
4. displaying information as numbers rather than by a pointer moving over a dial

   digital read-out

   a digital voltmeter

5. electronics responding to discrete values of input voltage and producing discrete output voltage levels, as in a logic circuit

   digital circuit

6. a less common word for digitate

noun

1. music one of the keys on the manuals of an organ or on a piano, harpsichord, etc

digital

/ dĭj′ĭ-tl /

1. Anatomy.
   Relating to or resembling a digit, especially a finger.
2. Computer Science.
   Representing or operating on data or information in numerical form. A digital clock uses a series of changing digits to represent time at discrete intervals, for example, every second. Modern computers rely on digital processing techniques, in which both data and the instructions for manipulating data are represented as binary numbers.
3. Computer Science.
   Compare analogSee also logic gate

Derived Forms

• ˈdigitally, adverb

Other Words From

• digit·al·ly adverb
• inter·digi·tal adjective
• inter·digi·tal·ly adverb
• post·digi·tal adjective
• pre·digi·tal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of digital¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin digitālis, equivalent to digit(us) ( digit ) + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

A digital turf war erupted over Hydra’s displaced clientele.

From Salon

"Times change all the time. One time you were cutting records on vinyl next it was on CD, then MP3 and digital… it's about moving with the times," he says.

From BBC

Swedish streaming audio giant Spotify is courting more video creators, podcasters and influencers in an effort to step up its competition with popular digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

From Los Angeles Times

Digital memory prompts—being told “You have a new memory!” by a device or app—are now a normal part of our lives.

From Slate

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, a professor at the University of Oxford and author of the 2011 book Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age, told me that digital tools have upended centuries-old practices of retaining our memories.

From Slate

Related Words

• data processor
• desktop computer
• PC
• personal computer