C1adverbformalacademicscience
US/ˈlɪn.i.ər.li/
UK/ˈlɪn.i.ə.li/
in a straight line, or increasing or decreasing by equal amounts at equal steps
In context
The cost rises linearly with the number of users, so doubling users doubles the bill.
Not everything in nature grows linearly; some things speed up over time.
The scientist plotted the results to see whether they changed linearly over time.
Words that go with linearly
verb + adverb
- increase linearlySales did not increase linearly after the campaign.
- grow linearlyThe plant grew linearly for the first month.
- vary linearlyThe voltage varies linearly with the current.
- scale linearlyThe system scales linearly as you add servers.
adverb + adjective
- linearly relatedThe two variables are linearly related.
- linearly dependentThese vectors are linearly dependent.