Constant vs. Control — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on October 22, 2023
Constant is a situation or value not changing. Control is manage or govern conditions or variables.
Difference Between Constant and Control
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A constant, by definition, alludes to something stable and unchanging, creating a premise of reliability or steadiness in various contexts. Control, in contrast, embodies the act or power of directing, managing, or governing.
For instance, in scientific experiments, a constant is an element that remains unchanged throughout to ensure the validity of the results. In a scientific arena, a control group is essential to establish a baseline to compare the results with the experimental groups, ensuring that the observed changes result from the variable being tested.
The word "constant" in daily communication might describe something persistent and unvarying, such as a person's undying loyalty or a ceaseless noise. Whereas, in everyday language, "control" might refer to one’s ability to manage or dominate a situation, environment, or even their own emotions and actions.
Comparison Chart
Grammatical Role
Often used as an adjective or noun.
Commonly employed as a noun or verb.
Usage in Science
A variable that does not change.
A standard against which to assess.
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Colloquial Meaning
Describing something unchanging.
Describing management or governance.
Syntactical Position
Can describe nouns (adjective).
Can indicate action (verb).
Semantic Field
Related to stability and persistence.
Related to direction and management.
Compare with Definitions
Constant
Persistently occurring.
The constant noise from the construction site is annoying.
Control
The power to influence or direct.
The government has control over the military.
Constant
Steadfast in loyalty or principles.
She remained constant in her beliefs despite opposition.
Control
A standard for checking or verifying.
They used a control group in the experiment.
Constant
A condition or variable that does not change in experiments.
In the experiment, temperature was kept constant to ensure accuracy.
Control
The power to influence or direct people's behaviour or the course of events
The whole operation is under the control of a production manager
The situation was slipping out of her control
Constant
Not changing or varying; continuous
A constant gentle rain.
Drove at a constant speed.
Control
A person or thing used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment
Platelet activity was higher in patients with the disease than in the controls
Constant
Happening regularly or repeatedly; continual
The constant barking of the dog next door.
Constant interruptions.
Control
A member of an intelligence organization who personally directs the activities of a spy
He sat with his KGB control as the details of his new assignment were explained
Constant
Unchanging in nature, value, or extent; invariable
A constant wind speed.
Control
A high card that will prevent the opponents from establishing a particular suit
He has controls in both minor suits
Constant
Steadfast in purpose, loyalty, or affection; faithful
A constant friend.
Control
Determine the behaviour or supervise the running of
He was appointed to control the company's marketing strategy
Constant
Something that is unchanging or invariable.
Control
Take into account (an extraneous factor that might affect the results of an experiment)
No attempt was made to control for variations
Constant
A quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context.
Control
To exercise authoritative or dominating influence over; direct
The majority party controls the legislative agenda.
Constant
An experimental or theoretical condition, factor, or quantity that does not vary or that is regarded as invariant in specified circumstances.
Control
To adjust to a requirement; regulate
Rules that control trading on the stock market.
Valves that control the flow of water.
Constant
Unchanged through time or space; permanent.
Control
To hold in restraint; check
Struggled to control my temper.
Constant
Consistently recurring over time; persistent.
Control
To reduce or prevent the spread of
Used a pesticide to control insects.
Controlled the fire by dousing it with water.
Constant
Steady in purpose, action, feeling, etc.
Control
To verify or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or by comparing with another standard.
Constant
Firm; solid; not fluid.
Control
To verify (a financial account, for example) by using a duplicate register for comparison.
Constant
(obsolete) Consistent; logical.
Control
Authority or ability to manage or direct
Lost control of the skidding car.
The leaders in control of the country.
Constant
Bounded above by a constant.
Constant time
Constant space
Control
One that controls; a controlling agent, device, or organization.
Constant
That which is permanent or invariable.
Control
An instrument.
Constant
(algebra) A quantity that remains at a fixed value throughout a given discussion.
Control
Controls A set of such instruments.
Constant
(science) Any property of an experiment, determined numerically, that does not change under given circumstances.
Control
A restraining device, measure, or limit; a curb
A control on prices.
Price controls.
Constant
(computing) An identifier that is bound to an invariant value; a fixed value given a name to aid in readability of source code.
Control
A standard of comparison for checking or verifying the results of a scientific experiment.
Constant
Firm; solid; fixed; immovable; - opposed to fluid.
If . . . you mix them, you may turn these two fluid liquors into a constant body.
Control
An individual or group used as a standard of comparison in a scientific experiment, as a group of subjects given an inactive substance in an experiment testing a new drug administered to another group of subjects.
Constant
Not liable, or given, to change; permanent; regular; continuous; continually recurring; steadfast; faithful; not fickle. Opposite of changeable and variable.
Both loving one fair maid, they yet remained constant friends.
I am constant to my purposes.
His gifts, his constant courtship, nothing gained.
Onward the constant current sweeps.
Control
An intelligence agent who supervises or instructs another agent.
Constant
Remaining unchanged or invariable, as a quantity, force, law, etc.
Control
A spirit presumed to speak or act through a medium.
Constant
Consistent; logical.
Control
(transitive) To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.
Constant
That which is not subject to change; that which is invariable.
Control
(construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.
Constant
A quantity that does not change its value; - used in countradistinction to variable.
Control
To verify the accuracy of (something or someone, especially a financial account) by comparison with another account.
Constant
A number whose value, when ascertained (as by observation) and substituted in a general mathematical formula expressing an astronomical law, completely determines that law and enables predictions to be made of its effect in particular cases.
Control
To call to account, to take to task, to challenge.
Constant
A number expressing some property or condition of a substance or of an instrument of precision; as, the dielectric constant of quartz; the collimation constant of a transit instrument.
Control
(transitive) To hold in check, to curb, to restrain.
Constant
A data structure that does not change during the course of execution of a program. It may be a number, a string, or a more complex data structure; - contrasted with variable.
Control
Influence or authority over something.
The government has complete control over the situation.
Constant
A quantity that does not vary
Control
The method and means of governing the performance of any apparatus, machine or system, such as a lever, handle or button.
Constant
A number representing a quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context;
The velocity of light is a constant
Control
Restraint or ability to contain one's movements or emotions, or self-control.
Constant
Persistent in occurrence and unvarying in nature;
Maintained a constant temperature
A constant beat
Principles of unvarying validity
A steady breeze
Control
A security mechanism, policy, or procedure that can counter system attack, reduce risks, and resolve vulnerabilities; a safeguard or countermeasure.
Constant
Continually recurring or continuing without interruption;
Constant repetition of the exercise
Constant chatter of monkeys
Control
(project management) A means of monitoring for, and triggering intervention in, activities that are not going according to plan.
Constant
Steadfast in purpose or devotion or affection;
A man constant in adherence to his ideals
A constant lover
Constant as the northern star
Control
A control group or control experiment.
Constant
Uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing;
The ceaseless thunder of surf
In constant pain
Night and day we live with the incessant noise of the city
The never-ending search for happiness
The perpetual struggle to maintain standards in a democracy
Man's unceasing warfare with drought and isolation
Unremitting demands of hunger
Control
A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register.
Constant
Unchanging in nature.
His constant devotion to his work is admirable.
Control
(graphical user interface) An interface element that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box Ctrl.
Constant
A fixed value in mathematics.
Pi is a mathematical constant.
Control
(climatology) Any of the physical factors determining the climate of a place, such as latitude, distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.
Control
(linguistics) A construction in which the understood subject of a given predicate is determined by an expression in context. See control.
Control
A spirit that takes possession of a psychic or medium and allows other spirits to communicate with the living.
Control
A checkpoint along an audax route.
Control
A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register; a counter register.
Control
That which serves to check, restrain, or hinder; restraint.
Control
Power or authority to check or restrain; restraining or regulating influence; superintendence; government; as, children should be under parental control.
The House of Commons should exercise a control over all the departments of the executive administration.
Control
The complete apparatus used to control a mechanism or machine in operation, as a flying machine in flight;
Control
Any of the physical factors determining the climate of any particular place, as latitude,distribution of land and water, altitude, exposure, prevailing winds, permanent high- or low-barometric-pressure areas, ocean currents, mountain barriers, soil, and vegetation.
Control
In research, an object or subject used in an experimental procedure, which is treated identically to the primary subject of the experiment, except for the omission of the specific treatment or conditions whose effect is being investigated. If the control is a group of living organisms, as is common in medical research, it is called the control group.
Control
The part of an experimental procedure in which the controls{6} are subjected to the experimental conditions.
Control
The group of technical specialists exercising control by remote communications over a distant operation, such as a space flight; as, the American Mission Control for manned flights is located in Houston.
Control
To check by a counter register or duplicate account; to prove by counter statements; to confute.
This report was controlled to be false.
Control
To exercise restraining or governing influence over; to check; to counteract; to restrain; to regulate; to govern; to overpower.
Give me a staff of honor for mine age,But not a scepter to control the world.
I feel my virtue struggling in my soul:But stronger passion does its power control.
Control
To assure the validity of an experimental procedure by using a control{7}.
Control
Power to direct or determine;
Under control
Control
A relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another;
Measures for the control of disease
They instituted controls over drinking on campus
Control
(physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc;
The timing and control of his movements were unimpaired
He had lost control of his sphincters
Control
A standard against which other conditions can be compared in a scientific experiment;
The control condition was inappropriate for the conclusions he wished to draw
Control
The activity of managing or exerting control over something;
The control of the mob by the police was admirable
Control
The state that exists when one person or group has power over another;
Her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her
Control
Discipline in personal and social activities;
He was a model of polite restraint
She never lost control of herself
Control
Great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity;
A good command of French
Control
The economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.;
They wanted to repeal all the legislation that imposed economic controls
Control
A mechanism that controls the operation of a machine;
The speed control on his turntable was not working properly
I turned the controls over to her
Control
A spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance
Control
Exercise authoritative control or power over;
Control the budget
Command the military forces
Control
Lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits;
Moderate your alcohol intake
Hold your tongue
Hold your temper
Control your anger
Control
Handle and cause to function;
Do not operate machinery after imbibing alcohol
Control the lever
Control
Control (others or oneself) or influence skillfully, usually to one's advantage;
She manipulates her boss
She is a very controlling mother and doesn't let her children grow up
The teacher knew how to keep the class in line
She keeps in line
Control
Verify or regulate by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard, of scientific experiments;
Are you controlling for the temperature?
Control
Verify by using a duplicate register for comparison;
Control an account
Control
Be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something;
He verified that the valves were closed
See that the curtains are closed
Control the quality of the product
Control
Have a firm understanding or knowledge of; be on top of;
Do you control these data?
Control
A means of restraint.
The teacher lost control of the class.
Control
To verify accuracy by using a comparison.
Use a ruler to control the measurements.
Control
To eliminate or prevent the flourishing of.
They aim to control the invasive species by using pesticides.
Common Curiosities
How is "control" utilized in scientific contexts?
Often as a noun, e.g., "control group" in experiments.
Can "constant" be used to describe a person's attitude?
Yes, e.g., "She is constant in her kindness."
Is "control" always indicative of strict management?
No, it can simply imply gentle direction or guidance.
How can "constant" portray a habitual action?
E.g., "His constant humming is quite noticeable."
What part of speech is "constant" commonly used as?
Adjective or noun.
Can "control" imply repression or restraint?
Yes, e.g., "The regime tried to control the media."
How might "constant" be employed mathematically?
To describe a number that never changes, like Pi.
Can "control" relate to comparison or verification?
Yes, e.g., "Use the original sample as a control."
Might "constant" imply negativity in some contexts?
Yes, e.g., "Their constant arguing was disruptive."
How can "control" be related to technology?
E.g., "The control panel allows you to adjust settings."
Can "control" be synonymous with "dominate"?
Yes, but "control" might not always imply force or oppression.
In what sense might "constant" describe reliability?
E.g., "His constant support was crucial."
How might "control" pertain to a field of study?
"His field of study is control engineering."
Can "constant" be used in scientific experimentation?
Yes, to describe a variable that remains unchanged.
Is "constant" synonymous with "unchanging"?
Yes, it often implies a lack of variation or change.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
