singularity

[ sing-gyuh-lar-i-tee ]
See synonyms for singularity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural sin·gu·lar·i·ties for 2-4.
  1. the state, fact, or quality of being singular.

  2. a singular, unusual, or unique quality; peculiarity.

  1. Mathematics. singular point.

  2. Astronomy. (in general relativity) the mathematical representation of a black hole.

  3. Usually the singularity .Also called technological singularity . a hypothesized future era or event when exponential improvements in computer intelligence and advances in technology will result in an acute change in human society and evolution.

Origin of singularity

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English singularite, from Middle French singularité or Late Latin singulāritās (stem singulāritāt- ); see origin at singular, -ity

Other words from singularity

  • non·sin·gu·lar·i·ty, noun, plural non·sin·gu·lar·i·ties.

Words Nearby singularity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use singularity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for singularity

singularity

/ (ˌsɪŋɡjʊˈlærɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. the state, fact, or quality of being singular

  2. something distinguishing a person or thing from others

  1. something remarkable or unusual

  2. maths

    • a point at which a function is not differentiable although it is differentiable in a neighbourhood of that point: See also pole 2 (def. 4)

    • another word for discontinuity

  3. astronomy a hypothetical point in space-time at which matter is infinitely compressed to infinitesimal volume

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for singularity

singularity

[ sĭng′gyə-lărĭ-tē ]


  1. A point of infinite density and infinitesimal volume, at which space and time become infinitely distorted according to the theory of General Relativity. According to the big bang theory, a gravitational singularity existed at the beginning of the universe. Singularities are also believed to exist at the center of black holes.

  2. Mathematics A point at which the derivative does not exist for a given function but every neighborhood of which contains points for which the derivative exists.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.