What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Indirect vs Inverse - What's the difference?

indirect | inverse |

As adjectives the difference between indirect and inverse

is that indirect is not direct; roundabout; deceiving; setting a trap; confusing while inverse is inverted.

As a verb inverse is

.

indirect

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Not direct; roundabout; deceiving; setting a trap; confusing.
  • * '>citation
  • Indirect' messages permit communicative contacts when,
    without them, the alternatives would be total inhibition, si-
    lence, and solitude on the one hand, or, on the other, com-
    municative behavior that is direct, offensive, and hence
    forbidden. This is a painful choice. In actual practice, neither
    alternative is likely to result in the gratification of personal or
    sexual needs. In this dilemma, '
    indirect
    communications pro-
    vide a useful compromise. As an early move in the dating
    game, the young man might invite the young woman to dinner
    or to the movies. These communications are polyvalent: both
    the invitation and the response to it have several "levels" of
    meaning. One is the level of the overt message—that is,
    whether they will have dinner together, go to a movie, and so
    forth. Another, more covert, level pertains to the question of
    sexual activity: acceptance of the dinner invitation implies
    that sexual overtures might perhaps follow. Conversely, rejec-
    tion of the invitation means not only refusal of companionship
    for dinner but also of the possibility of further sexual explora-
    tion. There may be still other levels of meaning. For example,
    acceptance of the dinner invitation may be interpreted as a
    sign of personal or sexual worth and hence grounds for
    increased self-esteem, whereas its rejection may mean the
    opposite and generate feelings of worthlessness.

    Antonyms

    * direct

    Derived terms

    * indirect speech * indirect object

    inverse

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Opposite in effect or nature or order
  • reverse, opposite in order
  • (botany) Inverted; having a position or mode of attachment the reverse of that which is usual.
  • (mathematics) Having the properties of an inverse; said with reference to any two operations, which, when both are performed in succession upon any quantity, reproduce that quantity.
  • Multiplication is the inverse operation to division.
  • (linguistics, Kiowa-Tanoan) A grammatical number marking that indicates the opposite grammatical number (or numbers) of the default number specification of noun class.
  • (category theory) A morphism which is both a left inverse and a right inverse.
  • Derived terms

    * inverse function * inversely

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The opposite of a given, due to contrary nature or effect.
  • :: ''Deposing is the inverse of installing, and vice versa
  • The reverse version of a procedure.
  • Removing one's shoes is the inverse of putting one's shoes on
  • (mathematics) The inverse of an element x'' with respect to a binary operation is an element that when combined with ''x yields the appropriate identity element.
  • The additive inverse of x is -x as, x + -x = 0 where 0 is the additive identity element.
    The multiplicative inverse of x is x-1 as, x * x-1 = 1 where 1 is the multiplicative identity element.
    ''The compositional inverse of a function f is f–1 as, f f–1 is the identity function (ie f–1(f(a)) = a for all a).
  • (logic) A statement constructed from the negatives of the premise and conclusion of some other statement: ~p ? ~q is the inverse of p ? q.
  • Verb

    (invers)
  • (surveying) To compute the bearing and distance between two points.
  • Antonyms

    * compute (a point).

    Anagrams

    * ----