circular
Americanadjective
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having the form of a circle; round.
a circular tower.
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of or relating to a circle.
a circular plane.
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moving in or forming a circle or a circuit.
the circular rotation of the earth.
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moving or occurring in a cycle or round.
the circular succession of the seasons.
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roundabout; indirect; circuitous.
a circular route.
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Logic. of or relating to reasoning in which the conclusion is ostensibly proved, but in actuality it or its equivalent has been assumed as a premise.
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pertaining to a circle or set of persons.
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(of a letter, memorandum, etc.) addressed to a number of persons or intended for general circulation.
noun
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circulars
plural
adjective
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of, involving, resembling, or shaped like a circle
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circuitous
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(of arguments) futile because the truth of the premises cannot be established independently of the conclusion
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travelling or occurring in a cycle
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(of letters, announcements, etc) intended for general distribution
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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circularitynoun
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circularnessnoun
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noncircularadjective
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subcircularadjective
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uncircularadjective
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circularlyadverb
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noncircularlyadverb
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subcircularlyadverb
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uncircularlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of circular
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin circulāris, equivalent to circul(us), circlus “a circular form or figure; a ring or circle” + -āris adjective suffix; see origin at circle, -ar 1
Explanation
If something is circular, it has a round shape. You might take a circular route on your jog, running all the way around the park. You can build a circular fence around your garden, or pipe frosting flowers in a circular design on top of a birthday cake. Look at either from above, and they form circles. In logic, a circular argument is one that ends up exactly where it started — you assume something, rather than proving it. A paper advertisement can also be called a circular, from the idea that it's distributed to a certain circle, or group, of people.
Vocabulary lists containing circular
Geometry - Introductory
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Geometry (Base List)
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Measurement and Data
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They follow relatively circular paths around the Sun and stay close to the plane in which most of the solar system's planets orbit.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
Founder Julie Wainwright took a version of the designer secondhand market online in 2011, around the time that the circular economy movement was going mainstream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"It is not the kind of break that you would get naturally, because it is so circular," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Built in 1951, the ranch-style residence spans more than 10,000 square feet and features five bedrooms, six fireplaces, an Art Deco-style movie theater, and a circular sunroom.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The place was like a circular cathedral, with a ceiling so high it was lost in the gloom.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Dig through that stack of mail on your counter for circulars and search your email inbox for any grocery-store brand names to scope out advertised deals.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
If you’re looking for a specific brand or item, you can search for it instead of wading through dozens of printed circulars.
From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2025
The Home Office says all memos and circulars to police forces are published online in the National Archives.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2025
The circulars had been delivered to the Lansford post office for mailing, New said, by the chauffeur of Rep. Everett Kent, a local Pennsylvania Democrat.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2022
To earn money for cheap beds in cheap places, I handed out circulars and swept gas stations and shucked oysters, but my real job was running my mouth.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
