vertiginous

[ver-tij-uh-nuhs]

adjective

1. whirling; spinning; rotary.

   vertiginous currents of air.

2. affected with vertigo; dizzy.

3. liable or threatening to cause vertigo.

   a vertiginous climb.

4. apt to change quickly; unstable.

   a vertiginous economy.

vertiginous

/ vɜːˈtɪdʒɪnəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or having vertigo

2. producing dizziness

3. whirling

4. changeable; unstable

Other Word Forms

• vertiginously adverb
• vertiginousness noun
• unvertiginous adjective
• unvertiginously adverb
• unvertiginousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertiginous¹

1600–10; < Latin vertīginōsus dizzy, equivalent to vertīgin- (stem of vertīgō ) vertigo + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertiginous¹

C17: from Latin vertīginōsus, from _vertigo

Example Sentences

As Johnson puts it, “the vertiginous reality is that now, in the 2020s, we are once again living through the 1970s.”

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One of the great theatrical speeches written in the last 25 years, this vertiginous paean to America’s pastime was no doubt a factor in O’Hare’s win.

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The individual tiles and reinforcement bars create a striking impression of an enthralling and vertiginous centrifugal motion.

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“Floor Scrapers,” a personal favorite, assumes an intimate vantage point of looking down toward the workmen’s vigorous labor, which results in a floor that appears vertiginously tilted up.

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There’s the satisfying meat and potatoes of exploration at Castle Ensis, with vertiginous balustrades and winding ramparts that cross over and under themselves in impossible architectural configurations.

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