binary

Syllables: bi·na·ryUK/ˈbaɪ.nə.ɹɪ//ˈbaɪ.nə.ɹi/

binary adjective: being in one of two mutually exclusive states. Also the ellipsis of binary file.

Adjective

binary (comparative more binary, superlative most binary)

Being in one of two mutually exclusive states.
- Binary states are often represented as 1 and 0 in computer science.
- Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything.2013 May 11, “The climate of Tibet: Pole-land”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8835, page 80
Concerning logic whose subject matter concerns such states.
- Near-synonym: Boolean
Synonyms:

Boolean
Concerning numbers and calculations using the binary number system.

Synonyms:

base-2
Having two equally important parts; related to something with two parts.
- binary star
- Two ingredients are combined in a binary poison.
Synonyms:

dyadic, double, twin, dual, twofold
Of an operation, function, procedure, or logic gate, taking exactly two operands, arguments, parameters, or inputs; having domain of dimension 2.
- Division of reals is a binary operation.
Of data, consisting coded values (e.g. machine code) not interpretable as plain or ASCII text (e.g. source code).
- He downloaded the binary distribution for Linux, then burned it to DVD.
Antonyms:

plain text
(comparable) Focusing on two mutually exclusive conditions.
- He has a very binary understanding of gender.
- Yo… you've been staring at a computer screen way too long, homie. Life's not that binary.2015 July 1, Sam Esmail, “eps1.1_ones-and-zer0es.mpeg”, in Mr. Robot, season 1, episode 2, spoken by Elliot Alderson
Having or pertaining to a gender identity represented by the gender binary; either male or female.
- To further unpack trans and gender-diverse embodiment, requires one to unpack the depth of the discourse as it relates to both binary and non-binary people (Hofman, 2012). It necessitates deeper engagement as to the politics of passing, not passing, societal assimilation and non-assimilation.2020, Liberty Matthyse, “Achieving gender equality by 2030: Transgender equality in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 5”, in Agenda, volume 34, number 1 (Gendered and Feminist Inequalities)...
Synonyms:

gender-binary

Antonyms:

non-binary

Noun

binary (countable and uncountable, plural binaries)

A state in which only two values are possible, in which something must have one value or the other.
- The correlation between warmth and cold is an internal one where the existence of one depends on and is defined by the other. Hence, the yin-yang binary as a correlative binary of light-shade or warmth-cold [...]2012, Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee, Confucianism and Women: A Philosophical Interpretation, →ISBN, page 51
- The “in” versus “out” of this sociological model certainly carries to the admittedly simplistic binary of “good” versus “bad” of stereotypes in fictional works and the scholarly approaches to them.2012, Scott L. Baugh, Latino American Cinema, →ISBN
(uncountable) The bijective base-2 numeral system, which uses only the digits 0 and 1.
- As our initial exposure to the base 10 number system consisted of learning how to count, it also makes sense that we might begin by learning how to count in binary.1987, Robert W. McBeth, J. Robert Ferguson, IBM Assembler: An Intuitive Approach, John Wiley, page 5
Synonyms:

base 2

Also used as

binary is also the ellipsis of binary file.

binary is also the ellipsis of binary asteroid.

binary is also the ellipsis of binary planet.

binary is also the ellipsis of binary star.

binary is also the ellipsis of binary option.

binary meaning in Hindi, Malay, Indonesian and Persian

binary in Hindi

using binary number system: द्वयाधारी dvayādhārī
not ASCII: द्वयाधारी dvayādhārī
number system: द्वयाधार dvayādhār

binary in Malay

number system: perduaan
binary computer file: perduaan

binary in Indonesian

being in a state of one of two mutually exclusive conditions such as on or off: biner
logic states: biner
using binary number system: biner
having two parts: biner

binary in Persian

using binary number system: دودویی dodoyi

Examples of binary in a sentence

A binary statistical distribution has only two categories.
These gameworld features allow for a space where awareness and exploration of sexualities outside of the heterosexual binary can take place.2015, Summer Glassie, “"Embraced eternity lately?": Mislabeling and subversion of sexuality labels through the Asari in the Mass Effect...

All 40 example sentences with binary

Synonyms of binary

1 more synonymsFewer synonyms

black-and-white

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of binary

Forms of binary

Adjective
comparative	more binary
superlative	most binary
Noun
plural	binaries

Plural of binary: binaries

Origin of binary

Inherited from Middle English binarie. By surface analysis, bin- + -ary.

Words formed from binary

Words that rhyme with binary

quinary

Questions about binary

What does binary mean?: Binary means being in one of two mutually exclusive states.
What is binary in Hindi?: Binary in Hindi is द्वयाधारी (dvayādhārī), द्वयाधार (dvayādhār). See Binary meaning in Hindi.
How do you use binary in a sentence?: A binary statistical distribution has only two categories.
What part of speech is binary?: Binary can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce binary?: Binary is pronounced /ˈbaɪ.nə.ɹɪ/ (UK).

Words near binary in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: binary (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-binary.ogg.

Cite this entry: “binary.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/binary. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.