vertical

American  

[vur-ti-kuhl] / ˈvɜr tɪ kəl /

adjective

1. being in a position or direction perpendicular to the plane of the horizon; upright; plumb.

   Antonyms:

   horizontal

2. of, relating to, or situated at the vertex.

3. of or relating to the cranial vertex.

4. Botany.

   1. (of a leaf ) having the blade in a perpendicular plane, so that neither of the surfaces can be called upper or lower.

   2. being in the same direction as the axis; lengthwise.

5. of, constituting, or resulting in vertical combination.

6. of or relating to a product or service from initial planning to sale.

7. of, relating to, or noting a stratified society, nation, etc.

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noun

• verticals
  plural

1. something vertical, as a line or plane.

2. a vertical or upright position.

3. a vertical structural member in a truss.

vertical British  

/ ˈvɜːtɪkəl /

adjective

1. at right angles to the horizon; perpendicular; upright Compare horizontal

   a vertical wall

2. extending in a perpendicular direction

3. at or in the vertex or zenith; directly overhead

4. economics of or relating to associated or consecutive, though not identical, stages of industrial activity

   vertical integration

   vertical amalgamation

5. of or relating to the vertex

6. anatomy of, relating to, or situated at the top of the head (vertex)

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noun

1. a vertical plane, position, or line

2. a vertical post, pillar, or other structural member

Synonym Usage

See upright.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonverticality
  noun
• nonverticalness
  noun
• subverticalness
  noun
• verticalism
  noun
• verticality
  noun
• verticalness
  noun
• nonvertical
  adjective
• subvertical
  adjective
• unvertical
  adjective
• nonvertically
  adverb
• subvertically
  adverb
• unvertically
  adverb
• vertically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• verticals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of vertical

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin verticālis, equivalent to vertic- (stem of vertex ) vertex + -ālis -al ¹

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Explanation

Vertical describes something that rises straight up from a horizontal line or plane. A telephone pole or a tree can usually be described as vertical in relation to the ground. The walls of your house — unless there's some terrible problem — are vertical. They rise straight up from the foundation, at a ninety degree angle. When you're standing up, you're vertical, as opposed to when you lie down in a horizontal position on the couch. The terms vertical and horizontal often describe directions: a vertical line goes up and down, and a horizontal line goes across. You can remember which direction is vertical by the letter, "v," which points down.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vertical verticals

In the Pacific, El Nino's effect on the atmosphere leaves little vertical wind shear over the Pacific, creating favorable conditions for hurricanes to intensify.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

A federal jury reached a verdict last week in the latest lawsuit surrounding the burgeoning market for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The yoke is pulled back in the final seconds, subjecting the jet to a peak vertical G-force of 3.08.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

And even companies known for vertical integration, like Tesla, are sourcing their components from outside the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Emily Sue lived in a house built on the side of a nearly vertical mountain across the creek and not more than a hundred yards from Big Creek High School.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

We’d give them new blood, new direction, and they’d give us cash, prestige, verticals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The company’s investments this year will focus on creating an integrated global technology platform, building new products and verticals, and expanding the geographic footprint, according to the analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

“When people spend more days in a month with us across more moments, more devices and more verticals, it proves our product is working.”

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

“IP is at the center” — that’s short for intellectual property — “and then they can go execute across all the verticals, whether it’s experiential, merchandise, licensing, films, music, all of it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

Given the verticals together with these, however, their force becomes weakened until there ensues an almost perfect balance, the crossing lines weighing out even.

From Pictorial Composition and the Critical Judgment of Pictures by Henry Rankin Poore

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Related Words

• perpendicular
• steep

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