adj · noun · 13 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
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpəʊ.lə/
General-American:/ˈpoʊlɚ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, Northwestern, US:[ˈpɔːlɝ]
Australian:/ˈpəʉl.ə/
Australian:/ˈpɔul.ə/
Scotland:/ˈpoləɾ/
rhymes with -əʊlə(ɹ)
homophone: Poehler
homophone: Polar
CMU ARPABET:P OW1 L ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or having a pole or polarity, as:
Of, relating to, measured from, or referred to a geographic pole (the North Pole or South Pole); within the Arctic or Antarctic circles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: geography, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of or having a pole or polarity, as:
Of an orbit that passes over, or near, one of these poles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Of or having a pole or polarity, as:
Of a coordinate system, specifying the location of a point in a plane by using a radius and an angle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Of or having a pole or polarity, as:
Having but two possible answers, yes and no.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adj
Meaning 6
Of or having a pole or polarity, as:
Of or relating to a pole (extreme) on any spectrum or field, such as an ideologically pure dogmatic position as opposed to any syncretic integration or balancing of competing principles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Qualifier: conceptual analysis
Examples
polar viewpoints
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
The line joining the points of contact of tangents drawn to meet a curve from a point called the pole of the line.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
adjective
Meaning 8
of or existing at or near a geographical pole or within the Arctic or Antarctic Circles
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
polar regions
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: equatorial
9
adjective
Meaning 9
located at or near or coming from the earth's poles
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
polar diameter
polar zone
a polar air mass
Antarctica is the only polar continent
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
adjective satellite
Meaning 10
having a pair of equal and opposite charges
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
adjective satellite
Meaning 11
being of crucial importance- Henry Kissinger
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a pivotal event
Its pivotal location has also exposed it to periodic invasions
the polar events of this study
a polar principal
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pivotal
Antonyms: none provided
12
adjective satellite
Meaning 12
extremely cold
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
an arctic climate
a frigid day
gelid waters of the North Atlantic
glacial winds
icy hands
polar weather
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: arctic, frigid, gelid, glacial, icy
Antonyms: none provided
13
adjective satellite
Meaning 13
characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
in diametric contradiction to his claims
diametrical (or opposite) points of view
opposite meanings
extreme and indefensible polar positions
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: diametric, diametrical, opposite
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kwel-der. Proto-Indo-European *kwól-os Proto-Hellenic *pólos Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos)der. Latin polus Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin -āris Late Latin polārislbor. English polar Learned borrowing from Late Latin polāris. By surface analysis, pole + -ar.
Across languages
Translations
63 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
قُطْبِيّ
(quṭbiyy)
— relating to a geographic pole
Armenian:
բեւեռային
(beweṙayin)
— relating to a geographic pole
Belarusian:
паля́рны
(paljárny)
— relating to a geographic pole
Belarusian:
по́люсны
(póljusny)
— relating to a geographic pole
Bulgarian:
поля́рен
(poljáren)
— relating to a geographic pole
Chinese Mandarin:
極地的 /极地的
(jídì de)
— relating to a geographic pole
Czech:
polární
— relating to a geographic pole
Esperanto:
polusa
— relating to a geographic pole
Esperanto:
polara
— relating to a geographic pole
Finnish:
napa-
— relating to a geographic pole
Finnish:
napaseudun
— relating to a geographic pole
Finnish:
napaseutu-
— relating to a geographic pole
Finnish:
polaarinen
— relating to a geographic pole
French:
polaire
— relating to a geographic pole
Galician:
polar
— relating to a geographic pole
German:
polar
— relating to a geographic pole
Hindi:
ध्रुवीय
(dhruvīya)
— relating to a geographic pole
Icelandic:
heimskauts-
— relating to a geographic pole
Icelandic:
heimskauta-
— relating to a geographic pole
Icelandic:
pól-
— relating to a geographic pole
Icelandic:
heimskautalegur
— relating to a geographic pole
Ido:
polara
— relating to a geographic pole
Ido:
polala
— relating to a geographic pole
Ingrian:
poljarnoi
— relating to a geographic pole
Kazakh:
полярлық
(polärlyq)
— relating to a geographic pole
Central Kurdish:
جەمسەری
(cemserî)
— relating to a geographic pole
Macedonian:
поларен
(polaren)
— relating to a geographic pole
Māori:
mātaratara
— relating to a geographic pole
Persian:
قطبی
(qotbi)
— relating to a geographic pole
Polish:
polarny
— relating to a geographic pole
Polish:
biegunowy
— relating to a geographic pole
Russian:
поля́рный
(poljárnyj)
— relating to a geographic pole
Russian:
по́люсный
(póljusnyj)
— relating to a geographic pole
Slovak:
polárny
— relating to a geographic pole
Spanish:
polar
— relating to a geographic pole
Ukrainian:
поля́рний
(poljárnyj)
— relating to a geographic pole
Ukrainian:
по́люсний
(póljusnyj)
— relating to a geographic pole
Finnish:
napa-
— of an orbit passing near a geographic pole
Finnish:
polaarinen
— of an orbit passing near a geographic pole
Finnish:
polaari-
— of an orbit passing near a geographic pole
Galician:
polar
— of an orbit passing near a geographic pole
German:
polar
— of an orbit passing near a geographic pole
Spanish:
polar
— of an orbit passing near a geographic pole
Bulgarian:
поля́рен
(poljáren)
— having a dipole
Finnish:
poolinen
— having a dipole
Finnish:
polaarinen
— having a dipole
Galician:
polar
— having a dipole
German:
polar
— having a dipole
Spanish:
polar
— having a dipole
Swedish:
polär
— having a dipole
Tagalog:
taluktukin
— having a dipole
Armenian:
բեւեռային
(beweṙayin)
— of a certain coordinate system
Bulgarian:
поля́рен
(poljáren)
— of a certain coordinate system
Czech:
polární
— of a certain coordinate system
Finnish:
polaarinen
— of a certain coordinate system
Finnish:
napa-
— of a certain coordinate system
French:
polaire
— of a certain coordinate system
Galician:
polar
— of a certain coordinate system
German:
polar
— of a certain coordinate system
Polish:
biegunowy
— of a certain coordinate system
Russian:
поля́рный
(poljárnyj)
— of a certain coordinate system
