polarity

[ poh-ler-uh-tee, puh- ]

noun

1. Physics.
   1. the property or characteristic that produces unequal physical effects at different points in a body or system, as a magnet or storage battery.
   2. the positive or negative state in which a body reacts to a magnetic, electric, or other field.
2. the presence or manifestation of two opposite or contrasting principles or tendencies.
3. Linguistics.
   1. (of words, phrases, or sentences) positive or negative character.
   2. polar opposition.

polarity

/ pəʊˈlærɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of having poles
2. the condition of a body or system in which it has opposing physical properties at different points, esp magnetic poles or electric charge
3. the particular state of a part of a body or system that has polarity

   an electrode with positive polarity

4. the state of having or expressing two directly opposite tendencies, opinions, etc

polarity

/ pō-lăr′ĭ-tē /

1. The condition of having poles or being aligned with or directed toward poles, especially magnetic or electric poles.

Other Words From

• non·po·lar·i·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of polarity¹

First recorded in 1640–50; polar + -ity

Example Sentences

In doing so they must work though different harmonic polarities and figure out how to consolidate.

From Los Angeles Times

Griffin mines the polarity between her envelope-pushing persona and the buttoned-up glamour of A-List celebrity with aplomb to reveal that even the biggest stars are as absurd as the rest of us.

From Salon

While the “both sides” notion was always false, it is less tenable than ever to argue that the truth lies somewhere in the fictitious middle between partisan polarities.

From Salon

"There's a gradient within each cell that determines where the cell is going. It's called 'polarity' and it's like the cell's very own steering wheel," says Brückner.

From Science Daily

For a novelist so focused on language, it's perhaps not surprising Everett worries that "polarity of thought has replaced discourse".

From BBC