valence
noun
Simple meaning
The number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero to three or, less commonly.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
vayluhnsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈveɪləns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero (for the likes of "It rains") to three (for the likes of "He gives her a flower") or, less commonly, four.
“The number of bonds that a verb has constitutes what we will call the valence of the verb.”
The number of binding sites of a molecule, such as an antibody or antigen.
The combining capacity of an atom, radical or functional group determined by the number of electrons that it will lose, gain, or share when it combines with other atoms etc.
A one-dimensional value assigned to an object, situation, or state, that can usually be positive or negative.
“Anger and fear have negative valence.”
A short curtain that usually hangs along the top edge of a window.
A decorative framework used to conceal the curtain mechanism and so on at the top of a window.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The number of arguments that a verb can have, including its subject, ranging from zero (for the likes of "It rains") to three (for the likes of "He gives her a flower") or, less commonly, four.
Used this way, valence is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a grammar or language-study use: it describes how language works, so it appears in teaching and reference writing.
“The number of bonds that a verb has constitutes what we will call the valence of the verb.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Formal
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Where it naturally appears
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “valence of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- valency , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Natural pattern: valence of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Numbernoun
“The number of bonds that a verb has constitutes what we will call the valence of the verb.”
Dimensionalnoun
“Anger and fear have negative valence.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An electron in the outer shell of an atom which can combine with other atoms to form molecules.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: number of arguments that a verb can have
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.