Standard Lemma guide

binary

adj · noun · 19 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • bī′nə-rē
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbaɪ.nə.ɹɪ/
  • General-American: /ˈbaɪ.nə.ɹi/
  • General-American: /ˈbaɪ.nɛɹ.i/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪnɛɹi
  • rhymes with -aɪnəɹi
  • CMU ARPABET: B AY1 N ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Being in one of two mutually exclusive states.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Binary states are often represented as 1 and 0 in computer science.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Concerning logic whose subject matter concerns such states.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, logic, mathematics, philosophy, sciences

Examples

  • Near-synonym: Boolean

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Boolean

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Concerning numbers and calculations using the binary number system.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: arithmetic, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: base-2

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Having two equally important parts; related to something with two parts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • binary star
  • Two ingredients are combined in a binary poison.
  • A binary statistical distribution has only two categories.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dyadic, double, twin, binary, dual, twofold

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Of an operation, function, procedure, or logic gate, taking exactly two operands, arguments, parameters, or inputs; having domain of dimension 2.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computer, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

Examples

  • Division of reals is a binary operation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of data, consisting coded values (e.g. machine code) not interpretable as plain or ASCII text (e.g. source code).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • He downloaded the binary distribution for Linux, then burned it to DVD.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: plain text

7

adj

Meaning 7

Focusing on two mutually exclusive conditions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: comparable

Examples

  • He has a very binary understanding of gender.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adj

Meaning 8

Having or pertaining to a gender identity represented by the gender binary; either male or female.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, human-sciences, natural-sciences, sciences, social-science, sociology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gender-binary

Antonyms: non-binary

9

noun

Meaning 9

A state in which only two values are possible, in which something must have one value or the other.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

The bijective base-2 numeral system, which uses only the digits 0 and 1.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: base 2

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

Ellipsis of binary file.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: non-binary, text file

12

noun

Meaning 12

Ellipsis of binary asteroid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

Ellipsis of binary planet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

Ellipsis of binary star.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: double star

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

Ellipsis of binary option.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

Topics: business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

adjective

Meaning 16

of or pertaining to a number system have 2 as its base

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a binary digit

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

adjective satellite

Meaning 17

consisting of two (units or components or elements or terms)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a binary star is a system in which two stars revolve around each other
  • a binary compound
  • the binary number system has two as its base

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

noun

Meaning 18

a pre-compiled, pre-linked program that is ready to run under a given operating system; a binary for one operating system will not run on a different operating system

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the same source code can be compiled to produce different binaries for different operating systems

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: binary program

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: program, programme, computer program, computer programme

19

noun

Meaning 19

a system of two stars that revolve around each other under their mutual gravitation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: binary star, double star

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: star

Narrower terms: Aldebaran, Algol, Alpha Centauri, Rigil Kent, Rigil, Altair, Antares, Epsilon Aurigae, Procyon, Rigel, Beta Orionis, Sirius, Dog Star, Canicula, Sothis, Vega

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *dwís Proto-Italic *dwis Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *dwiznos Latin bīnus, bīnī Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -ārius Late Latin bīnāriuslbor. Middle English binarie English binary Inherited from Middle English binarie. By surface analysis, bin- + -ary.

Across languages

Translations

171 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: двайко́вы (dvajkóvy) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Belarusian: біна́рны (binárny) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Bulgarian: двои́чен (dvoíčen) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Catalan: binari — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Danish: binær — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Esperanto: duuma — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Finnish: binäärinen — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • French: binaire — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Georgian: ორობითი (orobiti) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Georgian: ბინარული (binaruli) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • German: binär — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Greek: δυαδικός (dyadikós) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Hungarian: bináris — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Indonesian: biner — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Kazakh: бинарлық (binarlyq) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Kazakh: екілік (ekılık) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Korean: 이진 (ijin) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Māori: tāhūrua — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Norwegian Bokmål: binær — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: binær — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Polish: binarny — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Portuguese: binário — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Romanian: binar — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Russian: двои́чный (dvoíčnyj) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Russian: бина́рный (binárnyj) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Spanish: binario — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Swedish: binär — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Turkish: iki terimli — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Turkish: ikilik — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Ukrainian: двійко́вий (dvijkóvyj) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Ukrainian: біна́рний (binárnyj) — being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off
  • Belarusian: двайко́вы (dvajkóvy) — logic states
  • Belarusian: біна́рны (binárny) — logic states
  • Bulgarian: двои́чен (dvoíčen) — logic states
  • Catalan: binari — logic states
  • Chinese Mandarin: 二進 /二进 (èrjìn) — logic states
  • Dutch: binair — logic states
  • Dutch: binaire — logic states
  • Esperanto: duuma — logic states
  • Esperanto: bulea — logic states
  • Finnish: binäärinen — logic states
  • French: binaire — logic states
  • German: binär — logic states
  • Greek: δυαδικός (dyadikós) — logic states
  • Hungarian: bináris — logic states
  • Indonesian: biner — logic states
  • Italian: binario — logic states
  • Korean: 참거짓 (chamgeojit) — logic states
  • Korean: 진리 (jilli) — logic states
  • Polish: binarny — logic states
  • Portuguese: binário — logic states
  • Romanian: binar — logic states
  • Russian: двои́чный (dvoíčnyj) — logic states
  • Russian: бина́рный (binárnyj) — logic states
  • Spanish: binario — logic states
  • Turkish: iki terimli — logic states
  • Turkish: ikilik — logic states
  • Ukrainian: двійко́вий (dvijkóvyj) — logic states
  • Ukrainian: біна́рний (binárnyj) — logic states
  • Armenian: երկուական (erkuakan) — using binary number system
  • Azerbaijani: ikilik — using binary number system
  • Belarusian: двайко́вы (dvajkóvy) — using binary number system
  • Belarusian: біна́рны (binárny) — using binary number system
  • Bulgarian: двои́чен (dvoíčen) — using binary number system
  • Catalan: binari — using binary number system
  • Czech: binární — using binary number system
  • Czech: dvojkový — using binary number system
  • Dutch: binair — using binary number system
  • Dutch: binaire — using binary number system
  • Dutch: tweetallig — using binary number system
  • Dutch: tweetallige — using binary number system
  • Esperanto: binara — using binary number system
  • Esperanto: duuma — using binary number system
  • Esperanto: dubaza — using binary number system
  • Finnish: binäärinen — using binary number system
  • French: binaire — using binary number system
  • German: binär — using binary number system
  • Greek: δυαδικός (dyadikós) — using binary number system
  • Hindi: द्वयाधारी (dvayādhārī) — using binary number system
  • Hungarian: kettes — using binary number system
  • Icelandic: tvíunda- — using binary number system
  • Indonesian: biner — using binary number system
  • Italian: binario — using binary number system
  • Korean: 이진 (ijin) — using binary number system
  • Norwegian Bokmål: binær — using binary number system
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: binær — using binary number system
  • Persian: دودویی (dodoyi) — using binary number system
  • Polish: dwójkowy — using binary number system
  • Polish: binarny — using binary number system
  • Portuguese: binário — using binary number system
  • Romanian: binar — using binary number system
  • Russian: двои́чный (dvoíčnyj) — using binary number system
  • Russian: бина́рный (binárnyj) — using binary number system
  • Spanish: binario — using binary number system
  • Swedish: binär — using binary number system
  • Turkish: ikili — using binary number system
  • Ukrainian: двійко́вий (dvijkóvyj) — using binary number system
  • Ukrainian: біна́рний (binárnyj) — using binary number system
  • Bulgarian: двоен (dvoen) — equal importance
  • Catalan: binari — equal importance
  • Czech: dvojný — equal importance
  • Czech: duální — equal importance
  • Finnish: kaksois- — equal importance
  • French: binaire — equal importance
  • Romanian: binar — equal importance
  • Russian: двойно́й (dvojnój) — equal importance
  • Spanish: binario — equal importance
  • Swedish: dubbel- — equal importance
  • Bulgarian: двоен (dvoen) — having two parts
  • Catalan: binari — having two parts
  • Dutch: tweevoudig — having two parts
  • Dutch: tweevoudige — having two parts
  • Esperanto: duelementa — having two parts
  • Esperanto: dukomponanta — having two parts
  • Finnish: binääri- — having two parts
  • French: binaire — having two parts
  • German: binär — having two parts
  • Greek: διττός (dittós) — having two parts
  • Icelandic: tvístæður — having two parts
  • Indonesian: biner — having two parts
  • Latin: binus — having two parts
  • Polish: binarny — having two parts
  • Romanian: binar — having two parts
  • Russian: двойно́й (dvojnój) — having two parts
  • Swedish: tudelad — having two parts
  • Turkish: çiftli — having two parts
  • Bulgarian: двоичен (dvoičen) — not ASCII
  • Catalan: binari — not ASCII
  • Chinese Mandarin: 二進制的 /二进制的 (èrjìnzhì de) — not ASCII
  • Czech: binární — not ASCII
  • Finnish: binääri- — not ASCII
  • French: binaire — not ASCII
  • German: binär — not ASCII
  • Greek: δυαδικός (dyadikós) — not ASCII
  • Hindi: द्वयाधारी (dvayādhārī) — not ASCII
  • Russian: двои́чный (dvoíčnyj) — not ASCII
  • Russian: бина́рный (binárnyj) — not ASCII
  • Spanish: binario — not ASCII
  • Turkish: ikilik — not ASCII
  • Bulgarian: двоична бройна система (dvoična brojna sistema) — number system
  • Chinese Mandarin: 二進制 /二进制 (èrjìnzhì) — number system
  • Czech: binární soustava — number system
  • Czech: dvojková soustava — number system
  • Dutch: binariteit — number system
  • Finnish: binäärijärjestelmä — number system
  • French: binarité — number system
  • German: Binärsystem — number system
  • Greek: δυαδικό (dyadikó) — number system
  • Hindi: द्वयाधार (dvayādhār) — number system
  • Japanese: 二進法 (nishinhō) — number system
  • Korean: 이진법 (ijinbeop) — number system
  • Malay: perduaan — number system
  • Māori: tāhūrua — number system
  • Polish: system dwójkowy — number system
  • Polish: system binarny — number system
  • Portuguese: binário — number system
  • Romanian: sistem binar — number system
  • Turkish: ikili sayı sistemi — number system
  • Bulgarian: двоичен файл (dvoičen fajl) — binary computer file
  • Czech: spustitelný soubor — binary computer file
  • Czech: binárka — binary computer file
  • Esperanto: duuma dosiero — binary computer file
  • Finnish: binääri — binary computer file
  • Finnish: binääritiedosto — binary computer file
  • French: exécutable — binary computer file
  • German: Binärdatei — binary computer file
  • Korean: 바이너리 파일 — binary computer file
  • Malay: perduaan — binary computer file
  • Polish: plik binarny — binary computer file
  • Portuguese: binário — binary computer file
  • Turkish: ikili kod — binary computer file
Real reading context

binary in complete knowledge articles