English · Word Candidate

binary

/ˈbaɪ.nə.ɹɪ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: binaries

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Being in one of two mutually exclusive states.

Adjective

Examples

Binary states are often represented as 1 and 0 in computer science.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Concerning logic whose subject matter concerns such states.

Adjective

Examples

Near-synonym: Boolean

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

A state in which only two values are possible, in which something must have one value or the other.

Noun

Examples

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 [...]

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

The bijective base-2 numeral system, which uses only the digits 0 and 1.

Noun

Examples

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.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “binary” mean?

Being in one of two mutually exclusive states.

Is “binary” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.