CONSISTENCY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does consistency mean? 

• CONSISTENCY (noun)
  The noun CONSISTENCY has 4 senses:

1. the property of holding together and retaining its shape

2. a harmonious uniformity or agreement among things or parts

3. logical coherence and accordance with the facts

4. (logic) an attribute of a logical system that is so constituted that none of the propositions deducible from the axioms contradict one another

  Familiarity information: CONSISTENCY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CONSISTENCY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The property of holding together and retaining its shape

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

body; consistence; consistency; substance

Context example:

when the dough has enough consistency it is ready to bake

Hypernyms ("consistency" is a kind of...):

property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)

Attribute:

thick (relatively dense in consistency)

thin (relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "consistency"):

gaseousness (having the consistency of a gas)

viscosity; viscousness (resistance of a liquid to shear forces (and hence to flow))

thickness (resistance to flow)

thinness (a consistency of low viscosity)

hardness (the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale)

softness (the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded)

breakableness (the consistency of something that breaks under pressure)

unbreakableness (a consistency of something that does not break under pressure)

porosity; porousness (the property of being porous; being able to absorb fluids)

solidity; solidness (the consistency of a solid)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A harmonious uniformity or agreement among things or parts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

consistence; consistency

Hypernyms ("consistency" is a kind of...):

uniformity; uniformness (the quality of lacking diversity or variation (even to the point of boredom))

Antonym:

inconsistency (the quality of being inconsistent and lacking a harmonious uniformity among things or parts)

Derivation:

consist (be consistent in form, tenor, or character; be congruous)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Logical coherence and accordance with the facts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

a rambling argument that lacked any consistency

Hypernyms ("consistency" is a kind of...):

coherence; coherency; cohesion; cohesiveness (the state of cohering or sticking together)

Derivation:

consistent ((sometimes followed by 'with') in agreement or consistent or reliable)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(logic) an attribute of a logical system that is so constituted that none of the propositions deducible from the axioms contradict one another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("consistency" is a kind of...):

logicality; logicalness (correct and valid reasoning)

Domain category:

logic (the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference)

 Context examples 

It was rather small, but well built and convenient; and everything was fitted up and arranged with a neatness and consistency of which Elizabeth gave Charlotte all the credit.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

The health care provider touches and feels the patient's body to examine the size, consistency, texture, location and tenderness of an organ or body part.

(Palpation, NCI Thesaurus)

Despite the potential of perovskites, some limitations have hampered their efficiency and consistency.

(Potassium gives perovskite-based solar cells an efficiency boost, University of Cambridge)

Those samples are too valuable to experiment on directly, but having them means we can precisely recreate their consistency using terrestrial materials.

(Scientists Find Way to Extract Oxygen from Moon Dirt, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A solid or semi-solid with a waxy consistency in the shape of a stick and intended for use on the lips.

(Lipstick Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

Hydrogenated soybean oil has a thicker consistency than standard soybean oil and is used as a food ingredient and is found in skincare products.

(Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

If I have any merit it is consistency.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Mark Hersam, a professor of materials science engineering, chemistry and medicine at Northwestern University, has developed a method to separate nanomaterials by size, therefore providing a consistency in properties otherwise not available.

(Materials for the next generation of electronics and photovoltaics, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The greatest degree of rational consistency could not have been more engaging, and they talked with mutual satisfaction.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

His want of spirits, of openness, and of consistency, were most usually attributed to his want of independence, and his better knowledge of Mrs. Ferrars's disposition and designs.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)