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bulbous

bulbous

10 5.5
Having a round, swollen shape like a bulb
  • adjective
  • /ˈbʌl.bəs/
translation icon : bulboso
  • The trail ran up the hill toward the looming bulbous shapes of lagobas, which housed Buddhist relics.

She's skeletal and has bulbous eyes and fangs.

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Examples

  • The head is bulbous and too large for the skinny neck, so it leans to one side.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Actually, it's a little bit more bulbous towards the center of each X.

  • Silver with huge bulbous heads.

  • Then she walked on, an ordinary bulbous lady on a quiet urban street.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • His walking stick is a heavy blackthorn with a silver ring and a bulbous handle.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The script describes Nosferatu as a rat-like being with a bulbous head and long fingers.

  • A greenish-brown bulbous shape erupted from nearby vegetation and jumped at her.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The root was really bulbous and girthy and smelled like bone broth.

  • The artist depicted a bulbous flower that seemed to overflow from the canvas with vibrant colors.

  • He wore a hat that was bulbous at the top, giving him a whimsical appearance.

Synonyms

puffy
vsbulbous
51 2.2

Rounded and soft in shape, often filled with air or soft material

refers to a firm outward curving shape rather than soft inflation
globular
vsbulbous
11 6.3

Shaped like a round ball

describes an outward swelling that may be uneven, not perfectly spherical
bellied
vsbulbous
9 5.6

Having a rounded shape that sticks out from the middle of the body

is oriented to an overall swollen curve rather than body-related bulge
bulging
vsbulbous
2 3.6

Sticking out in a rounded shape because something inside pushes

describes outward roundness more as a shape trait than caused by pressure
bell-shaped
vsbulbous
2 3.0

A shape with a round top and sides that curve out like a bell

is about a bulb-like rounded swelling rather than a bell contour
bulgy
vsbulbous
1 4.3

Sticking out in a rounded way

is about a smooth bulging curve resembling a bulb rather than any protrusion
protuberant
vsbulbous
1 8.4

Sticks out from a surface in a round or curved way

describes a smooth rounded bulge rather than simply projecting beyond a surface
ball-shaped
vsbulbous
1 2.3

Shaped like a ball or nearly round

means a swollen outward curve but not necessarily fully spherical
bulblike
vsbulbous
6.0

Round and swollen at the base like an onion

is defined by outward curving like that shape rather than the narrowing feature
bulb-shaped
vsbulbous
3.5

Having a round, swollen shape like a plant bulb

emphasizes the outward curving aspect rather than only the overall outline
bulbed
vsbulbous
7.5

Having a rounded, swollen shape like an onion

focuses on the general outward curving shape, not on having actual bulbs
barrel-shaped
vsbulbous
4.1

Having a round shape that is wider in the middle like a drum

describes an outward swollen curve rather than a long cylindrical form
globose
vsbulbous
8.9

Shaped like a ball

is more about a swollen outward curve resembling a bulb than full globe shape

Antonyms

797 1.0

Level and even without parts higher or lower

5 5.2

Curved inward like the inside of a bowl or spoon

Compounds

bulbous iris
  • Specialized
7.1

A flowering plant that grows from a bulb and makes bright flowers in spring

A plant that grows from an underground bulb, like a tulip or daffodil

How Bulbous

swollen
110 3.2
bulging
2 3.6
bulbous
10 5.5
rounded
1 2.4
curved
6 1.0

Surface Forms

bulbous positive
bulbousness positive

Morphology

bulbous = bulb (transparent) = bulb + ous

Clearly formed from 'bulb' + the productive adjective suffix '-ous', so the meaning 'having the shape of a bulb' is directly derivable.

Etymology

Bulbous comes from the Latin bulbus, which meant 'onion' or 'rounded root', and is like the English word bulb, as in a flower bulb or a light bulb. So something bulbous is round and swollen, sticking out like an onion or the rounded base of a plant.