From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlinearlin‧e‧ar /ˈlɪniə $ -ər/ adjective 1 LINEconsisting of lines, or in the form of a straight line a linear diagram2 [only before noun]LONG relating to length linear measurements3 MPinvolving a series of connected events, ideas etc, that move or progress from one stage to the next linear thinking —linearly adverb —linearity /ˌlɪniˈærəti/ noun [uncountable] → lateral thinking
Examples from the Corpus
linear• If the half-slopes are nearly equal, the relationship is fairly linear.• Some of the math is quite sophisticated, using differential equations, linear algebra, and covariance matrices.• Its very strong and linear grain marking makes excellent leaf veining.• That backward path is the foundation of Western, linear logic.• A factory-made widget once followed a linear path from design to manufacturing and delivery.• Bourne says that the rewrite has now achieved linear performance increases across multiple processors running a database. 