causality
/ˌkɔː.zəlˈæl.ə.ti/ IELTSAcademic
noun
Causality is the idea that one thing causes another thing to happen. It is the link between a cause and its result.
- The study looked at causality, not just correlation.
- He explained the causality behind the accident.
- Scientists tested causality with careful experiments.
Adinary Nuance
Causality is not the same as correlation. Correlation means two things happen together, but causality means one thing produces the other. Writers use causality when they want a more exact, academic word than cause or reason.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- quan hệ nhân quả
- Spanish
- causalidad
- Chinese
- 因果关系
- Japanese
- 因果関係
- Korean
- 인과성
Etymology
Causality comes from Late Latin causalitas, from Latin causa meaning 'cause'. It entered English in the 17th century, especially in philosophy and science.
Common phrases
the causality of eventscausality and correlationtest causalityprove causality
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is causality the same as correlation?
- No. Correlation means two things move together. Causality means one thing directly causes the other.
- Is causality a common everyday word?
- Not really. It is more common in academic, scientific, and business writing.
- How do I use causality in a sentence?
- Use it when discussing a direct cause-effect relationship, especially in analysis.