causality: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowFormal/Academic
Quick answer
What does “causality” mean?
The principle that everything has a cause, or the relationship between cause and effect.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The principle that everything has a cause, or the relationship between cause and effect.
In philosophy and science, the relationship between events where one is the direct result of the other; the property of being causal.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in usage or spelling.
Connotations
Primarily academic/philosophical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in academic contexts in both regions.
Grammar
How to Use “causality” in a Sentence
causality between X and Ycausality of Xthe causality involved in XVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “causality” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The researcher sought to causalise the observed correlation.
- The theory does not causalise the relationship explicitly.
American English
- The model attempts to causalize the observed association.
- You cannot simply causalize every statistical link.
adverb
British English
- The events were causally linked.
- The two phenomena are not causally related.
American English
- These variables are causally connected.
- He argued that the policy did not work causally.
adjective
British English
- The causal link was undeniable.
- They conducted a causal analysis of the data.
American English
- The causal relationship was proven.
- We need a causal explanation, not just a description.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Used in advanced analytics or risk modelling to discuss cause-effect in systems. (e.g., 'We must determine the causality behind the sales drop.')
Academic
Common in philosophy, physics, statistics, law, and social sciences. (e.g., 'The study aimed to establish causality, not just correlation.')
Everyday
Very rare. Might be used in discussions about responsibility or complex events. (e.g., 'It's hard to see the causality in all this chaos.')
Technical
Central in scientific methodology, legal liability, and systems engineering. (e.g., 'The experiment controls for confounding variables to infer causality.')
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “causality”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “causality”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “causality”
- Confusing 'causality' with 'correlation'. (Correlation does not imply causality.)
- Misspelling as 'casuality'.
- Using it in informal contexts where 'cause' or 'reason' is sufficient.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Causality' is the abstract principle or relationship. 'Causation' often refers to the act or process of causing something, or is used in legal contexts (proximate causation). They are often used interchangeably in philosophy.
Typically, no. If A causes B, there should be some correlation or association between them, though it might be masked by other factors. This is a deep topic in statistics and philosophy.
No, it is a low-frequency, formal word used primarily in academic, scientific, legal, and philosophical discussions.
It's a logical error where you mistake the effect for the cause. For example, thinking that poor health causes poverty, when it might be that poverty causes poor health.
The principle that everything has a cause, or the relationship between cause and effect.
Causality is usually formal/academic in register.
Causality: in British English it is pronounced /kɔːˈzælɪti/, and in American English it is pronounced /kɔːˈzæləti/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “The arrow of causality points only one way.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: CAUSALITY = CAUSE + REALITY. It's the 'reality' or 'principle' of cause and effect.
Conceptual Metaphor
CAUSALITY IS A CHAIN (links in a causal chain), CAUSALITY IS A DIRECTION (the arrow of time/causality).
Practice
Quiz
In which field is the term 'causality' MOST centrally important?