monotonic

adjective

mono·​ton·​ic ˌmä-nə-ˈtä-nik How to pronounce monotonic (audio)
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
monotonically
ˌmä-nə-ˈtä-ni-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce monotonic (audio)
adverb
monotonicity
ˌmä-nə-tō-ˈni-sə-tē How to pronounce monotonic (audio)
noun

Examples of monotonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But amid the chants sung in Danish and the monotonic delivery of the in-game announcer, there were hints of English. — Air Mail, 17 May 2025 Delivered in a monotonic, almost spooky deadpan, the track has the feeling of poetry or performance art. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 9 Feb. 2022 What is being mourned isn't exactly the paper, but the possibility of its existence in this city that prided itself for its witty discretions - now replaced by a monotonic, absolute drone. — Quartz Staff, Quartz, 24 June 2021 Gupta embeds those monotonic relationships in sprawling databases called interpolated lookup tables. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 6 July 2017 Two survey studies found that people believe there is a linear and nearly monotonic relationship between talent and performance: Participants expected that more talent improves performance and that this relationship never turns negative. — Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2014

Word History

Etymology

monotone entry 1 + -ic entry 2

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of monotonic was in 1797

Rhymes for monotonic

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Browse Nearby Words

monotone
monotonic
monotonist
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Cite this Entry

“Monotonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monotonic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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