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Entropy: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Entropy noun. A measure of the disorder in a system, which in nature tends to increase over time.
How to say it
EN-truh-pee/ˈɛntrəpi/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (EN).
Meanings
- A measure of the disorder in a system, which in nature tends to increase over time.
- A gradual slide into disorder or decline.
Entropy in a sentence
Entropy is why a dropped egg never leaps back into its shell.
Left alone, my desk drifts towards entropy within a week.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- disorder
- decay
- chaos
- deterioration
Opposite:
- order
Where entropy comes from
Coined by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius in 1865, from Greek tropē, a turning.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Left alone, my desk drifts towards _____ within a week.
- entropy
- homeostasis
- hypothesis
Show the answer
entropy: Left alone, my desk drifts towards entropy within a week.