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nonspherical

nonspherical

6.6
Not shaped like a ball
  • adjective
  • /nɒnˈsfɪrɪkəl/
translation icon : no esférico
  • Many aerosols are nonspherical, which can complicate climate modeling and predictions.
  • nonspherical shape

Examples

  • Ice particles, however, are in general nonspherical.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Accounting for the effect of the nonspherical shape on the transfer of shortwave and longwave radiation is an important problem in cloud-climate research.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The smaller nonspherical particles produce a higher resistance to flow when collected on a filter.

    Academic text (1994)
  • We see a clear indication of a nonspherical wavefront emanating from the point source.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The formation of supersonic jets in the collapsing cores of massive stars is thought to trigger highly nonspherical type II supernova explosions.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Here we see several frames of a wavefront movie of silicon showing the arrival of a nearly spherical longitudinal wave, followed by the arrival of a nonspherical slow transverse wave.

    Academic text (1995)
  • An asymmetric red-giant halo can focus the stellar winds into an hourglass shape, but how do planetaries themselves become nonspherical?

    Academic text (1996)
  • As we have seen, the nonspherical shapes of the acoustic wavefronts are governed by the elastic anisotropies of the medium, which arise from direction-dependent bonds between atoms or synthetic layers.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The scientist noted that the ice crystals were distinctly nonspherical, unlike typical spherical snowflakes.

  • In the lab, researchers observed how nonspherical particles interacted differently with light than spherical ones.

Synonyms

aspherical
vsnonspherical
  • Specialized
8.2

A lens or mirror not perfectly round to make images clearer

is the general term for not having a round shape
aspheric
vsnonspherical
  • Specialized
9.4

A surface that is not perfectly round used for lenses or mirrors

is the broader term for anything not round in shape

Antonyms

18 4.2

Round like a ball

How Spherical

spherical
18 4.2
ellipsoidal
  • Specialized
7.9
ovoid
1 6.1
nonspherical
6.6

Surface Forms

nonspherical positive

Morphology

nonspherical = spherical (transparent) = non + sphere + ical

The relation non- + spherical is a straightforward negation of the adjective 'spherical' and is easily understood by learners.

Etymology

Nonspherical combines the prefix non- meaning 'not' and the word sphere meaning 'a ball'. So nonspherical means 'not ball-shaped', used for things that are not perfectly round.