Meaning & use
modal
Last updated
Relating to mode, manner, or possibility; in grammar, describing verbs like 'can,' 'must,' and 'should' that express necessity, possibility, or permission.
See it in a sentence
'Might' and 'should' are examples of modal verbs in English.
In statistics, the modal value is simply the number that appears most frequently in a data set.
A note on using this word
Appears in several specialized fields—grammar (modal verbs), statistics (the mode), and music (modal scales)—all sharing the general sense of 'relating to a particular mode.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “modal”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.