unsignednumericformat

noun

UK /ʌnˈsaɪnd njuːˈmɛrɪk ˈfɔːmæt/

US /ʌnˈsaɪnd nuːˈmɛrɪk ˈfɔːrmæt/

A way to store numbers that only allows zero and positive numbers.

The program uses an unsigned numeric format to store the number of apples in the basket.

SYNONYMS

unsigned number format non-negative numeric format unsigned integer format positive-only number format

RELATED WORDS

integer data type binary bit encoding

OTHER MEANINGS

2. A data representation in computing where the sign bit is not used, so all bits represent the value.

Switching to an unsigned numeric format doubled the maximum value the field could hold.

3. A file or field specification that disallows negative values.

The database column was set to an unsigned numeric format to prevent negative entries.

4. A way of writing numbers without a plus or minus sign.

In the unsigned numeric format, the value 42 is written simply as 42.