English Meaning & Definitions
To move or swing back and forth at a regular speed; to waver between extremes of opinion, action, or quality.
- “The pendulum began to oscillate rhythmically after being pushed.”
- “Her mood seemed to oscillate between extreme joy and deep melancholy throughout the day.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “oscillate”.
Derived from the Latin 'oscillare' (to swing), which comes from 'oscillum', a small mask or image of Bacchus hung from trees to swing in the wind. The term evolved to describe the rhythmic back-and-forth motion of physical objects and later expanded to include metaphorical shifts in opinion or mood.
Think of a 'sea' (ossi) 'late' (late) tide that swings back and forth against the shore.
Frequently Asked Questions About “oscillate”
1. What is the meaning of “oscillate” in English?
In English, oscillate (verb) is defined as: “To move or swing back and forth at a regular speed; to waver between extremes of opinion, action, or quality.”.
2. How do you use “oscillate” in a sentence?
“The pendulum began to oscillate rhythmically after being pushed.”
3. What are English synonyms of “oscillate”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “oscillate”?
Derived from the Latin 'oscillare' (to swing), which comes from 'oscillum', a small mask or image of Bacchus hung from trees to swing in the wind. The term evolved to describe the rhythmic back-and-forth motion of physical objects and later expanded to include metaphorical shifts in opinion or mood.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.