Standard Lemma guide

oscillation

noun · 7 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.

  • /ˌɒ.sɪˈleɪ.ʃən/
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: AA2 S AH0 L EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

the act of oscillating or the state of being oscillated

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

2

noun

Meaning 2

a regular periodic fluctuation in value about some mean

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

3

noun

Meaning 3

a single such cycle

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

4

noun

Meaning 4

(of a function) defined for each point x in the domain of the function by inf diam(f(U))∣Uisaneighborhoodofx, and describes the difference (possibly ∞) between the limit superior and limit inferior of the function near that point.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a year constitutes a cycle of the seasons

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cycle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: periodic event, recurrent event

Narrower terms: cardiac cycle, Carnot cycle, Carnot's ideal cycle, pass, menstrual cycle

6

noun

Meaning 6

(physics) a regular periodic variation in value about a mean

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vibration

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wave, undulation

Narrower terms: ripple, transient, beat, resonance, sympathetic vibration

7

noun

Meaning 7

the process of oscillating between states

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: natural process, natural action, action, activity

Narrower terms: libration

History

Etymology

From French oscillation, from Latin oscillatio, from Latin oscillo. By surface analysis, oscillate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَذَبْذُب (taḏabḏub) — the act of oscillating
  • Azerbaijani: yırğalanma — the act of oscillating
  • Bulgarian: вибрация (vibracija) — the act of oscillating
  • Bulgarian: осцилация (oscilacija) — the act of oscillating
  • Catalan: oscil·lació — the act of oscillating
  • Chinese Mandarin: 振盪 /振荡 (zhèndàng) — the act of oscillating
  • Czech: kmitání — the act of oscillating
  • Czech: oscilace — the act of oscillating
  • Dutch: trilling — the act of oscillating
  • French: oscillation — the act of oscillating
  • Galician: oscilación — the act of oscillating
  • Georgian: რხევა (rxeva) — the act of oscillating
  • Georgian: რყევა (rq̇eva) — the act of oscillating
  • Georgian: რწევა (rc̣eva) — the act of oscillating
  • Georgian: მერყეობა (merq̇eoba) — the act of oscillating
  • Georgian: ქანაობა (kanaoba) — the act of oscillating
  • Georgian: ოსცილაცია (oscilacia) — the act of oscillating
  • German: Schwingung — the act of oscillating
  • German: Oszillation — the act of oscillating
  • Greek: ταλάντωση (talántosi) — the act of oscillating
  • Hebrew: תְּנוּדָה (tnuda) — the act of oscillating
  • Hebrew: תְּנִידָה (tnida) — the act of oscillating
  • Ido: ocilo — the act of oscillating
  • Indonesian: osilasi — the act of oscillating
  • Italian: oscillazione — the act of oscillating
  • Japanese: 振動 (shindō) — the act of oscillating
  • Kazakh: тербеліс (terbelıs) — the act of oscillating
  • Persian: نوسان (navasân) — the act of oscillating
  • Portuguese: oscilação — the act of oscillating
  • Romanian: oscilare — the act of oscillating
  • Russian: колеба́ние (kolebánije) — the act of oscillating
  • Russian: кача́ние (kačánije) — the act of oscillating
  • Spanish: oscilación — the act of oscillating
  • Spanish: libración — the act of oscillating
  • Swedish: oscillation — the act of oscillating
  • Swedish: svängning — the act of oscillating
  • Tagalog: tugoy — the act of oscillating
  • Turkish: salınım — the act of oscillating
  • Ukrainian: колива́ння (kolyvánnja) — the act of oscillating
  • Welsh: osgiliad — the act of oscillating
  • Hebrew: תנודה (tnudá) — math: of a function
  • Hebrew: אוסילציה (osilátzya) — math: of a function
  • Indonesian: osilasi — math: of a function
Real reading context

oscillation in complete knowledge articles