perpendicular
1
6.7
- adjective
- /ˌpɜr.pənˈdɪk.jə.lər/
- Some of the survivors on the stern stated that it was almost perpendicular as it slid silently and with hardly a ripple beneath the surface.
- nearly perpendicular
- almost perpendicular
- steep, nearly perpendicular
Examples
-
Three Palestinian flags that used to hang over the entryway instead draped onto the dusty mess, their poles nearly perpendicular to the ground.
Blog text (20) -
Down into the dip at the Bijou and then a five-block hike up a nearly perpendicular hill.
Fiction book (1991) -
An enormous wooden ladder, almost perpendicular in its steepness, soared into the darkness above.
Fiction book (1999) -
For Barrallier, the route was treacherous, appearing "so steep, nearly perpendicular" that his "courage failed" him just thinking of climbing the mountain.
Academic text (2016) -
In fear and trembling, trackers walked a narrow pathway chiseled out of the perpendicular face of the rock.
Fiction book (2001) -
In the late afternoon, the path abruptly leveled and began a long gradual turn, a steep drop on one side and a nearly perpendicular headwall on the other.
Fiction book (1992) -
The mountain trail was steep and perpendicular, making it challenging to climb.
-
The architect designed a building with walls that are nearly perpendicular to the ground.
-
The cliff had a perpendicular drop, creating a stunning but dangerous view of the ocean below.
Synonyms
148
2.5
Having a very sharp slope or almost vertical angle
11
4.1
Very steep and almost vertical like a cliff face
5
3.2
A line or building part that stands straight up and down
3
7.7
A very steep slope like a cliff that is dangerous to climb
1
4.3
A thing with sides that rise almost straight up
1
8.6
At right angles to each other like two crossing lines
1
6.3
Very steep and almost straight up, like a cliff
Antonyms
Compounds
A type of English Gothic building style from the 1300s with tall vertical lines, Tudor arches, and fan-shaped ceilings
How Steep
Surface Forms
Etymology
Perpendicular comes from Latin per- 'completely' and pendere 'to hang', and it brings to mind a line that hangs straight down like a weight on a string. That's why a very steep cliff is called perpendicular — it looks almost straight down or vertical.