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Is there a word for the opposite of modal?

Particularly, is there a word for the opposite of modal in the logical sense of relating to the modality between propositions? In other words, is there a word for denoting that of not relating to the modality between propositions?

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Do you mean modal in the logical sense or the linguistic sense? They are not unrelated, but they're not the same. And while I'm asking, what makes you think there is an opposite for either sense? Modality is not really scalar. – John Lawler Feb 21 '12 at 16:10
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At the risk of trivializing the issue, why not at least try non-modal? That is not an opposite, exactly, but it covers the bases I think you need covered. – Robusto Feb 21 '12 at 16:16
An example sentence might help clarify what you're going for. – ruakh Feb 21 '12 at 16:17
@JohnLawler The logical sense. Maybe there is no reason for there to be such a word since it is not scalar. Everything is indeed either possible or impossible and necessary or not necessary. I just thought there might be a word for referring to the non-modal character of something just like modal can be used to point to the modal character of something. – N.N. Feb 21 '12 at 16:18
This seems to me a question for the technical audience, say logicians or linguists, what they have decided to use. In both cases, 'modal' is highly marked, which means that by default, if the word 'modal' is not mentioned, then it is assumed to be not modal. For logicians, the usual use of 'modal' is in contrast to 'classical' logic, quantifiers, or operators. For linguists, the contrast is to an infinitive or declarative verb. – Mitch Feb 21 '12 at 18:08
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3 Answers

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At the risk of trivializing the issue, why not at least try non-modal? That is not an opposite, exactly, but it covers the bases I think you need covered.

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How about "amodal"? – Mitch Feb 21 '12 at 17:58
The a- negative prefix should go on Greek or Sanskrit roots, but modal is Latin. Non-modal is what would be used in linguistics or logic to indicate the absence of "modality", though it's hardly an "opposite". – John Lawler Feb 21 '12 at 20:51
Is it really so strict? 'amoral' works. – Mitch Feb 21 '12 at 23:07
In addition to this I have seen modal-free in use, e.g. "Statements involving such modalities may, alone or in combination with modal-free statements, entail other, nontrivial, modal-free statements." in Asher, Nicholas and Michael Morreau (1995) "What Some Generic Sentences Mean". – N.N. Feb 28 '12 at 10:05
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Modal means "having modes".

In the field of user interface design, a modal interface is one in which a given action has different results depending on what "mode" the system is in. For example, a button on a digital watch might advance the current time by a minute in one mode, and turn on the face light in another mode.

The opposite of modal in this field is modeless. Modelessness is considered desirable in a user interface, because the user doesn't need to think about what mode they are in.

It's not in dictionaries; it's not in my spellchecker. But it is widely used for this purpose. It might work for your purpose too.

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Whoa... Does the OP actually mean UX modal? – Kris Feb 22 '12 at 7:44
No. Hence the last paragraph. – slim Feb 22 '12 at 8:53
up vote 2 down vote

This seems to me a question for the technical audience, say logicians or linguists, that they have decided to use. In both cases, 'modal' is highly marked, which means that by default, if the word 'modal' is not mentioned, then it is assumed to be not modal.

But in those instances where the contrast must be expressed:

  • For logicians, modal is used in contrast to classical logic, quantifiers, or operators.
  • For linguists, the contrast is to an infinitive or declarative verb.
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