undulating

American  

[uhn-juh-leyt, uhn-dyuh-, -duh-] / ˈʌn dʒəˌleɪ tɪŋ, ˈʌn dyə-, -də- /

adjective

1. having a sinuous or wavelike shape or motion.

   Travelers marvel at the simplicity and beauty of the undulating bamboo roof, tree-like pillars, and natural light flooding into the airport terminal.

   The American goldfinch is easily detected in the spring or summer as a flash of yellow flying with an undulating motion.

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Other Word Forms

• nonundulating
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of undulating

First recorded in 1710–20; undulat(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

CÚCUTA, Colombia—Amid the coca-leaf farms in the undulating borderlands of Colombia and Venezuela, neither country’s government wields power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The diggers were efficient, cramming in so many graves that, from above, the field near the University of Sudan’s medical campus looked like a frieze of an undulating, gravel-brown sea.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

It was known that this all time great golfer was in a race to recover from a ruptured Achilles and two back surgeries in time to take on the undulating demands of Augusta National.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Cabbages, namely their undulating cross-section patterns, have appeared as designs in outerwear and accessories.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026

The sea, visible ahead of her in a gray swathe only a few shades darker than the sky, moved in giant, undulating swells.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Related Words

• rolling