directional
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a spatial direction
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electronics
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having or relating to an increased sensitivity to radio waves, sound waves, nuclear particles, etc, coming from a particular direction
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(of an aerial) transmitting or receiving radio waves more effectively in some directions than in others
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physics electronics
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concentrated in, following, or producing motion in a particular direction
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indicating direction
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indicating the direction something, such as a fashion trend, might take
directional fashion looks
Other Word Forms
- directionality noun
- directionally adverb
- undirectional adjective
Etymology
Origin of directional
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.
When the market’s directional trend is hijacked by forces that marginalize financial metrics like corporate earnings growth and profit margins, it’s more significant than merely investor sentiment souring.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
These vibrations mix electronic states and effectively push the electron across the boundary, creating a directional, ballistic motion instead of slow and random diffusion.
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026
Also, LED lights "are a lot more directional, so you've got this much brighter, whiter light in a very directional point hitting your eye compared to the more diffuse halogen ones".
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
EAGAR, Ariz.—Sammy Collins twists and pulls on a directional drill’s controls.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026
Bando lays his compass beside the directional stone and adjusts it.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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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.