convex

American  

[kon-veks, kuhn-, kon-veks] / kɒnˈvɛks, kən-, ˈkɒn vɛks /

adjective

1. having a surface that is curved or rounded outward.

2. Mathematics.

   1. (of a polygon) having all interior angles less than or equal to 180°.

   2. (of a set) having the property that for each pair of points in the set the line joining the points is wholly contained in the set.

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noun

1. a convex surface, part, or thing.

convex British  

/ ˈkɒnvɛks, kɒnˈvɛks /

adjective

1. curving or bulging outwards

2. physics having one or two surfaces curved or ground in the shape of a section of the exterior of a sphere, paraboloid, ellipsoid, etc

   a convex lens

3. maths (of a polygon) containing no interior angle greater than 180°

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verb

1. (tr) to make convex

convex Scientific  

/ kŏn′vĕks′ /

1. Curving outward, like the outer boundary of a circle or sphere.

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Other Word Forms

• convexedness
  noun
• subconvex
  adjective
• convexedly
  adverb
• convexly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of convex

1565–75; < Latin convexus equivalent to con- con- + -vexus, perhaps < *wek-sos, derivative of base of vehere to convey, if original sense was “brought together (to a single point)”

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Explanation

If something is bulging outwards in a curve, it's convex in shape. The surfaces of soccer balls, old television screens, and eyeballs are all convex in shape. One of the most famous uses of a convex shape are the curving mirrors in a fun house. Not to be confused with its popular partner, the concave mirror, which curves inwards. How can you tell which is which? If you look like you're three feet tall and weigh 300 pounds, you're looking in a convex mirror. If you look like you're twelve feet tall weigh 30 pounds, you're looking in a concave mirror. Enjoy!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

convex

And, he warns, it won’t just be 18 basis points each year — because absorption costs are convex, this depletion will accelerate if debt continues to outpace financial capacity.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

I’d run my fingers across the convex pyramid textures in the same way other people lay under a weighted blanket or ate sour candy, jolting my subconscious back into the here and now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The bottle has an unusual convex base, meaning it cannot stand upright, and it is made of coarse glass, full of tiny air bubbles.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2024

On a convex or tubular structure such as the outside surface of a blood vessel, cells tend to move circumferentially around the shape.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024

For ANGELICA’S use, from Uncle Bilbo; on a round convex mirror.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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