specular
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to or having the properties of a mirror.
-
pertaining to a speculum.
-
Optics. (of reflected light) directed, as from a smooth, polished surface (opposed to diffuse).
adjective
-
of, relating to, or having the properties of a mirror
specular reflection
-
of or relating to a speculum
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of specular
1570–80; < Latin speculāris, equivalent to specul ( um ) a mirror ( spec ( ere ) to look, regard + -ulum instrumental suffix; see -ule) + -āris -ar 1
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.
These glints, or specular reflections, have been observed, for instance, on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, which helped to confirm the moon's large lakes.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 28, 2023
"There have been other little surprises. But, I’ve just learned to not ask questions and just go with it. It always turns out specular."
From Fox News ● Aug. 11, 2021
Curiously, the intensity of competition may explain the specular rise in U.S. profits.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 10, 2019
It is difficult to imagine popular music without his stark, and specular, existential insight.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 23, 2018
Well it would have been for Cicero's peace of mind if he could seriously have reconciled himself to abide by that specular station.
From The Posthumous Works of Thomas De Quincey, Vol. 2 by Japp, Alexander H. (Alexander Hay)
Definitions 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.
