1
: characterized by the use of or uttered in a monotone
She recited the poem in a monotonic voice.
2
: having the property either of never increasing or of never decreasing as the values of the independent variable or the subscripts of the terms increase

Examples of monotonic in a Sentence

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In this way history is not monotonic. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 May 2011 Contra earlier models there isn't a monotonic decrease in the rate of adaptation as a function of complexity, but rather an increase until to an equipoise, before a subsequent decrease. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2010

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of monotonic was in 1797

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Cite this Entry

“Monotonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monotonic. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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