Meanings
- A combinatorial optimization algorithm that solves the assignment problem in polynomial time.
Synonyms: Hungarian method, Kuhn-Munkres algorithm, Munkres assignment algorithm
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounA combinatorial optimization algorithm that solves the assignment problem in polynomial time.
Origin
Developed and published in 1955 by Harold Kuhn, who gave it this name because it was based on the work of two Hungarian mathematicians, Dénes Kőnig and Jenő Egerváry (though an earlier independent solution by Carl Gustav Jacobi was later discovered).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Hungarian algorithm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hungarian%20algorithm
“Hungarian algorithm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hungarian%20algorithm. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hungarian algorithm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hungarian%20algorithm.
Source: Hungarian algorithm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.