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causality

noun

cau·​sal·​i·​ty kȯ-ˈza-lə-tē How to pronounce causality (audio)
plural causalities
1
: a causal quality or agency
2
: the relation between a cause and its effect or between regularly correlated events or phenomena

Examples of causality in a Sentence

Scientists found no causality between the events. a supreme being is a being that, by definition, has no causality of its own
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.
The Question of Proportionality Aristotle understood that causality is a complicated concept, and identified four different types of causes. George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025 The study’s cross-sectional design didn’t allow the researchers to determine the causality of the relationship between sleep and cognitive performance. Paul McClure 14, New Atlas, 14 May 2025 Its operating premise—that prosperity breeds inflation—gets the causality exactly wrong. Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025 If circumstances were otherwise, then perilous paradoxes could emerge: time machines could violate causality, matter could repel rather than attract, and even spacetime itself could be destabilized. Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for causality

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin causālitāt- causālitās, from Late Latin causālis causal + Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of causality was in 1603

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Causality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/causality. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Legal Definition

causality

noun
cau·​sal·​i·​ty kȯ-ˈza-lə-tē How to pronounce causality (audio)
plural causalities
: the relationship between cause and effect

More from Merriam-Webster on causality

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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