inverse

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌɪnˈvɝs/ UK /ˌɪnˈvɜːs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
opposite in order, direction, or effect; a thing that is the reverse of another

Pressure and volume stand in inverse relation at constant temperature.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · opposite in order,... opposite reverse reversed converse contrarytransposed

Opposites

direct same identical

Word family

Derived forms inversely

Related forms invert inversion reverse

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

multiplicative inverse
a number that gives a result of one when multiplied by a particular nonzero number

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Latin inversus, past participle of invertere 'to turn upside down', from in- 'in, upon' plus vertere 'to turn'.

invertere Latin vertere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# inverse

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌɪnˈvɝs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌɪnˈvɜːs/

## Meanings
1. opposite in order, direction, or effect; a thing that is the reverse of another

## Examples
- Pressure and volume stand in inverse relation at constant temperature.

## Synonyms
- opposite
- reverse
- reversed
- converse
- contrary
- transposed

## Antonyms
- direct
- same
- identical

## Derived Forms
- inversely

## Related Forms
- invert
- inversion
- reverse

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: invertere
- Root: vertere

## Etymology
From Latin inversus, past participle of invertere 'to turn upside down', from in- 'in, upon' plus vertere 'to turn'.

## AI Etymology
inverse comes from Latin inversus, past participle of invertere 'to turn upside down', from in- 'in, upon' plus vertere 'to turn'. Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the adjective sense is "opposite in order, direction, or effect; a thing that is the reverse of another", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as invert, inversion, and reverse, and in derivatives such as inversely. Its semantic neighborhood includes opposite, reverse, reversed, and converse, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin invertere and Latin vertere.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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