Meaning & use
idempotent
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Describing an operation that produces the same result no matter how many times it is applied.
See it in a sentence
A well-designed API endpoint for deleting a file should be idempotent, so repeating the request causes no extra harm.
Multiplying a number by one is an idempotent operation.
A note on using this word
Common in computer science and mathematics; the key idea is that repeating the action changes nothing beyond the first application.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “idempotent”, then compare your use with the examples above.