polar
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the North or South Pole.
-
of or relating to the pole of any sphere, a magnet, an electric cell, etc.
-
opposite in character or action.
The two have personalities that are polar.
-
capable of ionizing, as NaCl, HCl, or NaOH; electrolytic; heteropolar.
-
central; pivotal.
the polar provision of the treaty.
-
analogous to the polestar as a guide; guiding.
a polar precept.
adjective
-
situated at or near, coming from, or relating to either of the earth's poles or the area inside the Arctic or Antarctic Circles
polar regions
-
having or relating to a pole or poles
-
pivotal or guiding in the manner of the Pole Star
-
directly opposite, as in tendency or character
-
chem
-
Also: heteropolar. (of a molecule or compound) being or having a molecule in which there is an uneven distribution of electrons and thus a permanent dipole moment
water has polar molecules
-
(of a crystal or substance) being or having a crystal that is bound by ionic bonds
sodium chloride forms polar crystals
-
-
Relating to a pole, such as the pole of a magnet or one of the electrodes of an electrolytic cell.
-
Relating to the North Pole or the South Pole of Earth, or analogous regions of another planet.
-
Relating to a molecule or substance that has polar bonds.
Other Word Forms
- antipolar adjective
- transpolar adjective
Etymology
Origin of polar
From the Medieval Latin word polāris, dating back to 1545–55. See pole 2, -ar 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Often compared to polar deserts, the Atacama is considered one of the most arid regions in the world.
From Science Daily
In “Burn the Water,” Ray imagines London in 2425, roughly 300 years after the polar ice caps have collapsed, flooding most of the world in a cataclysmic event.
From Los Angeles Times
If they don’t want to do that, the companies would have to pay significantly higher electric rates or agree to let their power be curtailed during shortages, such as during this winter’s polar air blasts.
Like many scientists of the time, he thought there could be an ice-free ocean, an “open polar sea,” above Greenland.
From Literature
“I shot the funeral scene and went into tech rehearsals the next day. They’re such polar opposite characters, too.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
