spherical

American  

[sfer-i-kuhl, sfeer-] / ˈsfɛr ɪ kəl, ˈsfɪər- /

Often spheric

adjective

1. having the form of a sphere; globular.

   Synonyms:

   rounded

2. formed in or on a sphere, as a figure.

3. of or relating to a sphere or spheres.

4. pertaining to the heavenly bodies, or to their supposed revolving spheres or shells.

5. pertaining to the heavenly bodies regarded astrologically as exerting influence on humankind and events.

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spherical British  

/ ˈsfɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. shaped like a sphere

2. of or relating to a sphere

   spherical geometry

3. geometry formed on the surface of or inside a sphere

   a spherical triangle

4. 1. of or relating to heavenly bodies

   2. of or relating to the spheres of the Ptolemaic or the Copernican system

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Other Word Forms

• nonspheric adjective
• nonspherical adjective
• nonsphericality noun
• nonspherically adverb
• quasi-spherical adjective
• quasi-spherically adverb
• sphericality noun
• spherically adverb
• sphericalness noun
• subspheric adjective
• subspherical adjective
• unspherical adjective

Etymology

Origin of spherical

1515–25; < Late Latin sphēric ( us ) ( spherics ¹ ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

This allowed them to determine the lifetimes of the first excited nuclear states and estimate how much the nuclei were distorted from a spherical shape.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

Its plans at the time were well-documented, with the Walt Disney Co. initially giving Westcot, as it was to be called, a spherical answer to the Florida park’s Spaceship Earth.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

The goal: hit all seven players on the opposing team using perfectly spherical snowballs made with a special machine, or capture their flag.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

It is impossible to draw a flat, rectangular map of the spherical Earth without distortions.

From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026

Some clusters have their galaxies arranged in an unambiguously spherical geometry; they are composed chiefly of ellipticals, often dominated by one giant elliptical, the presumptive galactic cannibal.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• rounded