polarity

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: po=lar=i=ty

CIDE DICTIONARY

polarity, n. [Cf. F. polarité.].

•  That quality or condition of a body in virtue of which it exhibits opposite, or contrasted, properties or powers, in opposite, or contrasted, parts or directions; or a condition giving rise to a contrast of properties corresponding to a contrast of positions, as, for example, attraction and repulsion in the opposite parts of a magnet, the dissimilar phenomena corresponding to the different sides of a polarized ray of light, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  A property of the conic sections by virtue of which a given point determines a corresponding right line and a given right line determines a corresponding point. See Polar, n.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

polarity, n. (pl. -ies)
1 the tendency of a lodestone, magnetized bar, etc., to point with its extremities to the magnetic poles of the earth.
2 the condition of having two poles with contrary qualities.
3 the state of having two opposite tendencies, opinions, etc.
4 the electrical condition of a body (positive or negative).
5 a magnetic attraction towards an object or person.

THESAURUS

polarity

Janus, N pole, S pole, ambiguity, ambivalence, antagonism, anteposition, antipathy, antithesis, balance, biformity, bifurcation, bilateral symmetry, clashing, collision, conflict, conformity, confrontation, confrontment, congruity, conjugation, consistency, contention, contradiction, contradistinction, contraindication, contraposition, contrariety, contrast, correspondence, counterposition, cross-purposes, dichotomy, disagreement, discrepancy, doubleness, doublethink, doubling, dualism, duality, duplexity, duplication, duplicity, dynamic symmetry, equality, equilibrium, equivocality, eurythmics, eurythmy, evenness, finish, halving, harmony, hostility, inconsistency, inimicalness, irony, keeping, magnetic axis, magnetic pole, multilateral symmetry, negative pole, north pole, opposing, oppositeness, opposition, opposure, oppugnance, oppugnancy, pairing, parallelism, perversity, polar opposition, polarization, pole, posing against, positive pole, proportion, proportionality, regularity, repugnance, shapeliness, showdown, south pole, symmetricalness, symmetry, trilateral symmetry, twinning, two-facedness, twoness, uniformity

ROGET THESAURUS

polarity

Duality

N duality, dualism, duplicity, biplicity, biformity, polarity, two, deuce, couple, duet, brace, pair, cheeks, twins, Castor and Pollux, gemini, Siamese twins, fellows, yoke, conjugation, dispermy, doublets, dyad, span, two, twin, dual, dualistic, double, binary, binomial, twin, biparous, dyadic, conduplicate, duplex, biduous, binate, diphyletic, dispermic, unijugate, tete-a-tete, coupled, conjugate, both, both the one and the other.

Counteraction

N counteraction, opposition, contrariety, antagonism, polarity, clashing, collision, interference, inhibition, resistance, renitency, friction, reaction, retroaction, counterblast, neutralization, vis inertiae, check, voluntary opposition &c, voluntary resistance, repression, opposites, action and reaction, yang and yin, yang-yin (contrariety), counteracting, antagonistic, conflicting, retroactive, renitent, reactionary, contrary, although, in spite of, against, for every action there is a reaction, equal in force and opposite in direction.

Contraposition

N contraposition, opposition, polarity, inversion, opposite side, reverse, inverse, counterpart, antipodes, opposite poles, North and South, antonym, opposite (contrariety), opposite, reverse, inverse, converse, antipodal, subcontrary, fronting, facing, diametrically opposite, Northern, septentrional, Boreal, arctic, Southern, Austral, antarctic, over, over the way, over against, against, face to face, vis-a- vis, as poles asunder.