adjective
lossless
LOS-lis
Lossless (adjective) means Free from loss, especially not losing electrical energy or force. Example: “Engineers aimed for a lossless power line to cut down on wasted energy.”
adjective
1
Free from loss, especially not losing electrical energy or force.
"Engineers aimed for a lossless power line to cut down on wasted energy."
"The connector was designed as a nearly lossless link between the two circuits."
2
technical In information theory, not losing any information when data is compressed or converted.
"FLAC is a lossless audio format, so no sound quality is discarded."
"She saved the photo in a lossless file format to keep every detail."
"Lossless compression lets you restore the exact original file afterwards."
How to use lossless
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLossless means nothing is lost or thrown away when data or energy is transferred or compressed.
When to use it
The word is mostly used in technical contexts such as computing, audio engineering and electrical engineering.
Memory tip
Think of lossless as keeping every detail, unlike lossy, which throws some away.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
lossless compression
lossless audio format
lossless quality
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Engineers aimed for a _____ power line to cut down on wasted energy.
Etymology
Formed in English from loss with the suffix -less, meaning without loss.
Antonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does lossless mean in audio or file formats?
Lossless means the format or process keeps all the original information, so nothing is discarded when the file is compressed or converted.
Is lossless the opposite of lossy?
Yes, lossless and lossy are treated as opposites: lossless keeps everything, while lossy discards some detail to save space.
Where does the word lossless come from?
It is built from loss plus the suffix -less.
What is the meaning of lossless?
"lossless" (adjective) means free from loss, especially not losing electrical energy or force.
