no free lunch theorem

proper noun

A theorem that implies that no single machine learning algorithm is universally the best-performing algorithm for all problems.

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Meanings

proper nounthe no free lunch theorem
  1. artificial intelligencecomputingA theorem that implies that no single machine learning algorithm is universally the best-performing algorithm for all problems.

Origin

Derives from the phrase there's no such thing as a free lunch.

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Cite this entry
APA

no free lunch theorem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20free%20lunch%20theorem

MLA

“no free lunch theorem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20free%20lunch%20theorem. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “no free lunch theorem,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20free%20lunch%20theorem.

Source: no free lunch theorem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.