Synonyms for
Discrete
Definition
separate and distinct; not attached to others; individual
Synonyms & similar words
Synonyms by register
Formal
Informal
Antonyms
Common collocations
- discrete units
- discrete steps
- discrete components
- discrete data
- discrete events
- discrete values
- discrete items
Word family
noun discreteness
adjective discrete
Usage note
Often contrasted with 'continuous'. 'Discrete' refers to things that are individually separate and distinct, while 'continuous' refers to things that are unbroken or uninterrupted.
Example sentences
- The beads on the necklace are discrete.
- The teacher gave discrete assignments to each student.
- Each cell in the honeycomb is discrete and separate from the others.
- The colors on the painting are discrete.
- The dots on the dice are discrete and easy to count.
Quotes
The world is not a continuum, but a discrete manifold of 'things'. - David Deutsch
Every point in space is a unique and discrete location. - Neil deGrasse Tyson
The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple, and there is nothing harder than to simplify things to the point of elegance and beauty. It is easy to make things complicated, but it is hard to make things simple. The reason for this is that in order to make things simple, we have to understand deeply the essence of what we are dealing with. And to do that, we need to identify the discrete elements underlying complex phenomena. - Terence Tao