polar

polar — adjective

1. connected with Earth's far northern or southern end, or with the icy land and se

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

connected with Earth's far northern or southern end, or with the icy land and sea around those points.

Example

Scientists tracked polar ice melting near Greenland last summer.

collocation: polar ice

A polar research ship left Norway before the winter storms.

common before nouns: polar research ship

Common collocations
  • polar ice
  • polar region
  • polar research
  • polar station
  • polar animal
Synonyms
  • Arctic

    only for the northern polar region

  • Antarctic

    only for the southern polar region

  • far-northern

    descriptive phrase for places very near the North Pole

Antonyms
  • equatorial

    connected with the hot area around the equator

  • tropical

    connected with warm regions near the equator

Usage Note

Usually comes before nouns such as 'ice', 'bear', 'region', 'research', and 'station'. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about Earth's cold end regions, not a mathematics term.

Common Mistakes

I need a polar coat for Taipei winter.
I need a very warm coat for Taipei winter.
'polar' describes the far north or south, not ordinary cold weather.

2. describing two people, ideas, or things that stand at totally different ends, wi

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing two people, ideas, or things that stand at totally different ends, with no important similarity between them.

Example

My twin cousins are polar opposites in both dress and taste.

fixed phrase: be polar opposites

At the town meeting, the two plans offered polar opposite answers to rising rents.

common before nouns: polar opposite answer

Common collocations
  • the polar opposite of
  • polar opposites
  • polar opposite views
  • polar opposite answers
  • polar opposite moods
Synonyms
  • opposite

    broader and weaker; two things can be opposite without being extreme

  • contrary

    formal; often used for opinions or advice that go against each other

  • diametrically opposed

    formal and very strong, close in force to 'polar opposite'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be the polar opposite of somebody/something

be polar opposites

Usage Note

Mostly used in the fixed phrase 'the polar opposite of' or as 'be polar opposites'. Stronger than simply saying two things are different.

Common Mistakes

My ideas are polar to yours.
My ideas are the polar opposite of yours.
this sense is normally used in the full expression 'polar opposite'.

3. used in mathematics for things based on a fixed point called a pole, such as pol

3.adjectiveC2
Definition

used in mathematics for things based on a fixed point called a pole, such as polar coordinates, a polar axis, or points on a sphere.

Example

The class learned polar coordinates before starting the graphing project.

common collocation: polar coordinates

Dr. Chen used a polar equation to describe the spiral shell.

common collocation: polar equation

Common collocations
  • polar coordinates
  • polar equation
  • polar axis
  • polar point
Synonyms
  • radial

    partly overlaps in geometry, but focuses on lines going out from a centre

  • coordinate-based

    broad descriptive phrase, not a precise technical equivalent

Antonyms
  • Cartesian

    describes the x-y coordinate system used instead of the polar one

Usage Note

Mostly appears in technical expressions such as 'polar coordinates', 'polar axis', and 'polar equation'. Distinguish from sense 1: that sense is geographical, while this one belongs to geometry.

Common Mistakes

The map uses polar weather to show distance.
The graph uses polar coordinates to show distance.
this sense is a mathematics term, not a climate term.

polar — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

These expressions all show difference, but they do not have the same force. 'Polar opposite' is one of the strongest everyday choices: it says two things sit at completely different ends, as in 'Their tastes are polar opposites.' 'Opposite' is broader and weaker, so it can describe simple contrast without total separation. 'Contrary' is more formal and often appears with opinions, advice, or evidence. 'Conflicting' usually means two ideas or reports cannot both fit together, so it focuses on clash rather than distance. 'Diametrically opposed' is very close to 'polar opposite' in strength, but it sounds more formal and is common in serious writing. A cheerful host and a silent guest may be opposites; two political plans can be polar opposites or diametrically opposed.

polar oppositeopposite ↗contrary ↗conflictingdiametrically opposed

Etymology

GreekLatinMedieval LatinEnglish

English borrowed 'polar' from medieval Latin 'polaris', meaning 'of a pole'. That Latin form came from 'polus', which in turn goes back to Greek 'polos', a word for an axis, pivot, or the sky's turning point. The earliest English uses were about the North and South Poles, and later the word spread to technical uses in mathematics and to the figurative phrase 'polar opposite'.