在数学领域中，对偶一般来说是以一对一的方式，常常（但并不总是）通过某个对合算子，把一种概念、公理或数学结构转化为另一种概念、公理或数学结构：如果A的对偶是B，那幺B的对偶是A。由于对合有时候会存在不动点，因此A的对偶有时候会是A自身。比如射影几何中的笛沙格定理，即是在这一意义下的自对偶。

对偶在数学背景当中具有很多种意义，而且，尽管它是“现代数学中极为普遍且重要的概念（a very pervasive and important concept in (modern) mathematics）”并且是“在数学几乎每一个分支中都会出现的重要的一般性主题（an important general theme that has manifestations in almost every area of mathematics）”，但仍然没有一个能把对偶的所有概念统一起来的普适定义。

In mathematics, a duality, generally speaking, translates concepts, theorems or mathematical structures into other concepts, theorems or structures, in a one-to-one fashion, often (but not always) by means of an involution operation: if the dual of A is B, then the dual of B is A. Such involutions sometimes have fixed points, so that the dual of A is A itself. For example, Desargues' theorem is self-dual in this sense under the standard duality in projective geometry.