circular

American  

[sur-kyuh-ler] / ˈsɜr kyə lər /

adjective

1. having the form of a circle; round.

   a circular tower.

2. of or relating to a circle.

   a circular plane.

3. moving in or forming a circle or a circuit.

   the circular rotation of the earth.

4. moving or occurring in a cycle or round.

   the circular succession of the seasons.

5. roundabout; indirect; circuitous.

   a circular route.

6. 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.

7. pertaining to a circle or set of persons.

8. (of a letter, memorandum, etc.) addressed to a number of persons or intended for general circulation.

---

noun

1. Also circ a letter, advertisement, notice, or statement for circulation among the general public.

   Synonyms:

   leaflet, flier, handbill

circular British  

/ ˈsɜːkjʊlə, ˌsɜːkjʊˈlærɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, involving, resembling, or shaped like a circle

2. circuitous

3. (of arguments) futile because the truth of the premises cannot be established independently of the conclusion

4. travelling or occurring in a cycle

5. (of letters, announcements, etc) intended for general distribution

---

noun

1. a printed or duplicated advertisement or notice for mass distribution

Other Word Forms

• circularity noun
• circularly adverb
• circularness noun
• noncircular adjective
• noncircularly adverb
• subcircular adjective
• subcircularly adverb
• uncircular adjective
• uncircularly adverb

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; circle, -ar ¹

Example Sentences

In its 2025 management-proxy circular, the company said six of the seven members of its executive committee are bilingual, and Rousseau “has continued to act on his personal pledge to learn French.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Lowe’s distributes a circular to every store, for instance, and it’s a task that regularly requires new image creation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

The five-person cast roams the room, sitting at various circular tables to blur the lines between script and improvisation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

They are piloting working with retailers and are in the process of rolling out its circular model to parents at home.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

According to the Aristotelian philosophers, epicycles ought not really to exist: all movement in the heavens ought to be circular movement around the centre of the universe.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton