combinatorial
adjective
com·bi·na·to·ri·al ˌkäm-bə-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 
kəm-ˌbī-nə-,
-(ˌ)bi-
1
: of, relating to, or involving combinations
2
: of or relating to the arrangement of, operation on, and selection of discrete mathematical elements belonging to finite sets or making up geometric configurations
combinatorially
ˌkäm-bə-nə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē
adverb kəm-ˌbī-nə-
-(ˌ)bi-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Different clusters of those complaints suggest different potential explanations, creating a combinatorial explosion of diagnostic possibilities. 
WIRED, 2 Sep. 2022 Where a human can test a small set of curated theories on a sparse set of data, a machine can test a huge number of combinatorial possibilities on massive datasets. Stephen Ibaraki, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Through combinatorial magic, your body makes as many types of antibodies as there are stars in the Andromedagalaxy — one thousand billion. Brendan Borrell, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2021 New testing techniques have revealed a combinatorial quagmire of infections in individual patients, even in routine practice. Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2021 How computationally complex is the human brain, and how large is its combinatorial space? Gabriel A. Silva, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 The combinatorial principle might also extend to situations beyond cell growth and development. Quanta Magazine, 16 Sep. 2021 In other words, at what scale - or scales - and with how much detail given the myriad of combinatorial processes. Gabriel A. Silva, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 In a combinatorial system, different pairings between a small number of ligands and receptors can specify a much larger number of targets. Quanta Magazine, 16 Sep. 2021 See More
WIRED, 2 Sep. 2022 Where a human can test a small set of curated theories on a sparse set of data, a machine can test a huge number of combinatorial possibilities on massive datasets. Stephen Ibaraki, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Through combinatorial magic, your body makes as many types of antibodies as there are stars in the Andromedagalaxy — one thousand billion. Brendan Borrell, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2021 New testing techniques have revealed a combinatorial quagmire of infections in individual patients, even in routine practice. Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2021 How computationally complex is the human brain, and how large is its combinatorial space? Gabriel A. Silva, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 The combinatorial principle might also extend to situations beyond cell growth and development. Quanta Magazine, 16 Sep. 2021 In other words, at what scale - or scales - and with how much detail given the myriad of combinatorial processes. Gabriel A. Silva, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 In a combinatorial system, different pairings between a small number of ligands and receptors can specify a much larger number of targets. Quanta Magazine, 16 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1