entropy
Say it: EN-truh-pee /ˈɛntrəpi/ · noun
What “entropy” means
The natural pull of things towards mess and disorder.
More precisely: A measure of disorder in a system; the tendency of things to drift towards disorder.
When to use it
In science, for disorder in a system. In everyday talk, for anything that gets messier if left alone: a desk, a garden, a project.
Memory trick
Left alone, things go from tidy to messy, never back again by themselves.
Similar words
disorder, decay, chaos
Where it comes from
Coined by physicist Rudolf Clausius from Greek tropē, 'transformation'.
Quick check
You tidy your desk on Monday. By Friday it's chaos again, without you trying. That's…
entropy or inertia?
Show the answer
entropy
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