Standard Lemma guide

ternary

adj · noun · 11 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈtɝ.nə.ɹi/
  • homophone: ternery

1

adj

Meaning 1

Made up of three things.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: treble, triadic, triple, triplex, tern, trinary, trine, ternary, threefold

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Arranged in groups of three.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

To the base three.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: arithmetic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trinary

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Having three variables.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: arithmetic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Containing, or consisting of, three different parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are regarded as having different functions or relations in the molecule.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

  • Sodic hydroxide, NaOH, is a ternary compound.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of an operator taking three operands.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

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

Examples

  • An "if...then...else" construction is called a ternary operator when it is combined in one line of a program.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A group of three things; a trio, threesome or tierce.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tern, ternary, ternion, threeness, threesome, triad, trinary, trine, trinity, trio, triplet, troika

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

The Holy Trinity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

The ternary operator.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

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

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

having three units or components or elements

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a ternary operation
  • a treble row of red beads
  • overcrowding made triple sessions necessary
  • triple time has three beats per measure
  • triplex windows

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: treble, triple, triplex

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: three, 3, III, trio, threesome, tierce, leash, troika, triad, trine, trinity, ternion, triplet, tercet, terzetto, trey, deuce-ace

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: digit, figure

History

Etymology

From Late Latin ternārius (“consisting of three things”), from ternī (“three each”).

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: трои́чен (troíčen) — made up of three things
  • Dutch: drieledig — made up of three things
  • German: ternär — made up of three things
  • Greek: τριαδικός (triadikós) — made up of three things
  • Romanian: ternar — made up of three things
  • Russian: троичный (troičnyj) — made up of three things
  • Russian: тройно́й (trojnój) — made up of three things
  • Spanish: ternario — made up of three things
  • Swedish: trefaldig — made up of three things
  • Swedish: ternär — made up of three things
  • Swedish: trevärd — made up of three things
  • Dutch: drievoudig — arranged in group of three
  • Russian: трёхкомпонентный (trjóxkomponentnyj) — arranged in group of three
  • Russian: трёхчленный (trjóxčlennyj) — arranged in group of three
  • Bulgarian: троичен (troičen) — mathematics: to the base three
  • Czech: trojkový — mathematics: to the base three
  • Dutch: drietallig — mathematics: to the base three
  • Icelandic: þríunda- — mathematics: to the base three
  • Romanian: ternar — mathematics: to the base three
  • Dutch: bestande uit drie variabelen — mathematics: having three variables
  • Greek: τριαδικός (triadikós) — mathematics: having three variables
  • Greek: τετραμερής (tetramerís) — mathematics: having three variables
  • Icelandic: þrístæður — mathematics: having three variables
  • Russian: трёхчленный (trjóxčlennyj) — mathematics: having three variables
  • Russian: тернарный (ternarnyj) — mathematics: having three variables