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omni- +‎ directional


  • Hyphenation: om‧ni‧dir‧ec‧tion‧al


omnidirectional (not comparable)

  1. In every direction, especially of a radio system capable of transmitting or receiving signals in all directions, or of a microphone capable of detecting sound from all directions.
    An omnidirectional radio beacon.
  2. (physics, electrical engineering) Having a ring-shaped radiation pattern, with equal radiation in all azimuthal directions.
    • 2004, Harold Davis, Absolute Beginner's Guide to Wi-Fi Wireless Networking, Que Publishing (ISBN 9780789731159), page 227
      The radiation pattern of an omnidirectional antenna looks like a doughnut, with the antenna in the center of the doughnut, as depicted in Figure 17.1.

Usage notes[edit]

Because true omnidirectionality is impossible for individual antennas, omnidirectional is generally used in electrical engineering contexts to refer to antennas that can receive signals in all directions in the azimuthal plane. In these contexts, a hypothetical antenna that radiates in all directions equally is called isotropic.[1]




  1. ^ Radiation Pattern,