circular
Americanadjective
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having the form of a circle; round.
a circular tower.
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of or relating to a circle.
a circular plane.
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moving in or forming a circle or a circuit.
the circular rotation of the earth.
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moving or occurring in a cycle or round.
the circular succession of the seasons.
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roundabout; indirect; circuitous.
a circular route.
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Logic. of or relating to reasoning in which the conclusion is ostensibly proved, but in actuality it or its equivalent has been assumed as a premise.
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pertaining to a circle or set of persons.
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(of a letter, memorandum, etc.) addressed to a number of persons or intended for general circulation.
noun
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circulars
plural
adjective
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of, involving, resembling, or shaped like a circle
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circuitous
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(of arguments) futile because the truth of the premises cannot be established independently of the conclusion
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travelling or occurring in a cycle
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(of letters, announcements, etc) intended for general distribution
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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circularitynoun
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circularnessnoun
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noncircularadjective
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subcircularadjective
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uncircularadjective
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circularlyadverb
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noncircularlyadverb
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subcircularlyadverb
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uncircularlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of circular
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin circulāris, equivalent to circul(us), circlus “a circular form or figure; a ring or circle” + -āris adjective suffix; see origin at circle, -ar 1
Explanation
If something is circular, it has a round shape. You might take a circular route on your jog, running all the way around the park. You can build a circular fence around your garden, or pipe frosting flowers in a circular design on top of a birthday cake. Look at either from above, and they form circles. In logic, a circular argument is one that ends up exactly where it started — you assume something, rather than proving it. A paper advertisement can also be called a circular, from the idea that it's distributed to a certain circle, or group, of people.
Vocabulary lists containing circular
Geometry - Introductory
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Geometry (Base List)
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Measurement and Data
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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.
See Examples For:
So, at the Arkansas Flag and Banner store, we decided on a smallish one that could fit in a circular base atop a newsroom cubicle.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Then begins the methodical massage in circular motions seemingly draining fluid away.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
He explained a growing circular investment, in which private-equity firms buy a private-credit unit and then buy an insurer, which in turn buys the loans from the affiliated private-credit company.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
They also carry a circular disk attached to the tail that can seal the shell opening like a door when the animal retreats inside.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
Our current timeline is unaffected, as time is singular, circular, and linear, and these events have already unfolded, as per the Saeed Theory of Spatial Travel.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Dig through that stack of mail on your counter for circulars and search your email inbox for any grocery-store brand names to scope out advertised deals.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
If you’re looking for a specific brand or item, you can search for it instead of wading through dozens of printed circulars.
From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2025
But BBC Verify has carried out extensive searches of Home Office circulars issued across that period and found no evidence that any document containing this advice exists.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2025
Garvey and his associates were charged with sending promotional circulars through the mail “with intent to defraud their recipients by selling stock in what had become a worthless corporation.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 4, 2021
Dream homes from real estate circulars and cats off 9-Lives.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
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.
