1. a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system
Usage: physics; thermodynamics
2. a gradual decline into disorder or chaos
Usage: general use
3. a measure of the uncertainty or information content in a message or data
Usage: information theory

Examples

• The entropy of the universe is constantly increasing according to the second law of thermodynamics.
• As the ice melted, the entropy of the water system increased.
• The company’s entropy became evident as departments stopped communicating effectively.
• Without proper maintenance, any organization will experience entropy over time.
• Information entropy helps measure how much data can be compressed.
• The entropy of a fair coin flip is maximized because both outcomes are equally likely.
• Social entropy set in after the leader left and no clear structure remained.