entropy

1. 1.

   (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome

   “the signal contained thousands of bits of information”

   Synonymsinformationselective information

   Broaderinformation measure

   communications

2. 2.

   (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity representing the amount of energy in a system that is no longer available for doing mechanical work

   “entropy increases as matter and energy in the universe degrade to an ultimate state of inert uniformity”

   SynonymsrandomnessS

   Broaderphysical property

   Narrowerconformational entropy

   thermodynamics

Other forms of entropy

plural

entropies·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about entropy

What does entropy mean?

entropy means "(communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in entropy?

entropy has 3 syllables: en-tro-py. The stress falls on "en". In IPA it is /ˈɛntɹəpi/.

What is another word for entropy?

Close synonyms include information, selective information, randomness, S. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is entropy a common word?

entropy is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.