Definition of "nonlinear" in English

adjective

1. (of a set of points) Not lying on a straight line.

2. (chemistry, of a molecule) Whose atoms do not lie in a straight line.

3. (mathematics, of a function) Having a product of independent variables, or a variable with an exponent not equal to one.

4. (of a system) Whose output is not directly proportional to its input.

5. Erratic and unpredictable; tending to jump back and forth.

   • a film with a nonlinear plot