centripetal
Americanadjective
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directed toward the center (opposed to centrifugal).
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operating by centripetal force.
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Physiology. afferent.
adjective
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acting, moving, or tending to move towards a centre Compare centrifugal
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of, concerned with, or operated by centripetal force
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botany (esp of certain inflorescences) developing from the outside towards the centre
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physiol another word for afferent
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Moving or directed toward a center or axis, particularly one around which an object is spinning.
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Transmitting nerve impulses toward the brain or spinal cord; afferent.
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Developing or progressing inward toward a center or axis, as in the growth of plant structures. For example, in the disk of the inflorescence of a sunflower, the florets near the edge open first, and the ones in the center last.
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Compare centrifugal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of centripetal
1700–10; < New Latin centripet ( us ) center-seeking ( centri- centri- + -petus, derivative of Latin petere to seek) + -al 1
Compare meaning
How does centripetal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Centripetal is an adjective describing a force that brings things toward the center, not unlike the force of a black hole. Centripetal is often confused with the word centrifugal. They may begin the same way, but they mean the exact opposite. Centrifugal is the force that moves things outward. You might remember that centripetal means to move things in, because the petals on a flower all begin in the middle.
Vocabulary lists containing centripetal
Political Geography - High School
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Physical Science: Physical Laws, Work, and Motion
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The Martian
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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.
A mere arm’s length away from one another, the riders stay steady, thanks to centripetal force and prayers.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024
A: The evidence suggests that there are centripetal forces that keep metropolitan areas from continually expanding outward, and that centripetal force is going to remain.
From Washington Post • Dec. 2, 2022
Chung’s slice-of-life writing is nicely observed but gentle to a fault, circling around its themes widely and long enough to lose centripetal force.
From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2022
But he argues they also need the centripetal force of “cultural patriotism,” to balance the centrifugal forces that this diversity ignites.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 9, 2022
Traveling feet-first along the ladder, he soon had to grip it in earnest as the centripetal force of the rotating ship took hold.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
