horizontal

[ hawr-uh-zon-tl, hor- ]

/ ˌhɔr əˈzɒn tl, ˌhɒr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR horizontal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

at right angles to the vertical; parallel to level ground.

flat or level: a horizontal position.

being in a prone or supine position; recumbent: His bad back has kept him horizontal for a week.

near, on, or parallel to the horizon.

of or relating to the horizon.

measured or contained in a plane parallel to the horizon: a horizontal distance.

(of material on a printed page, pieces on a game board, etc.) extending across, from the left to the right of the viewer.

of or relating to a position or individual of similar status: He received a horizontal promotion to a different department, retaining his old salary and title.

Economics. of or relating to companies, affiliates, divisions, etc., that perform the same or similar functions or produce the same or similar products: Through horizontal mergers the company monopolized its field.

noun

anything horizontal, as a plane, direction, or object.

Nearby words

Origin of horizontal

1545–55; < Latin horizont- (stem of horizōn) horizon + -al¹

Related forms

hor·i·zon·tal·i·ty

[hawr-i-zon-tal-i-tee, hor-] /ˌhɔr ɪ zɒnˈtæl ɪ ti, ˌhɒr-/, hor·i·zon·tal·ness, nounhor·i·zon·tal·ly, adverbsub·hor·i·zon·tal, adjectivesub·hor·i·zon·tal·ly, adverb

sub·hor·i·zon·tal·ness, nounun·hor·i·zon·tal, adjectiveun·hor·i·zon·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for horizontal

Like countless other boys in Massapequa, he had a crew cut and wore Keds sneakers and T-shirts with horizontal stripes.
Why Comedians Still Think Bill Cosby Is a Genius|Mark Whitaker|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Name some aspect of the horizontal polka and it has probably been discussed endlessly among human beings with two X chromosomes.
C’mon, Ladies, Masturbation Isn’t Just for Bad Girls|Emily Shire|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You see, the spine is a row of vertebrae that was designed to be horizontal.
Why Is Louis C.K. So Funny? He Uses Humor as a Moral Compass.|Andrew Romano|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much of the love scene is composed of medium shots, with the camera focused on the two horizontal bodies writhing on a bed.
Inside ‘Blue is the Warmest Color’ And The Year’s Most Controversial Sex Scene|Marlow Stern|October 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST

These fringe bands were also strung in horizontal form across a cotton-knit silk dress, as if suspended on a weaving loom.
Missoni Spring/ Summer 2014: Pop'n'Xotic|Liza Foreman|September 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If stream line pull tends to upset this level keel, horizontal rudders may be used to correct it.
The Submarine in War and Peace|Simon Lake
Design a fire screen with two horizontal and three vertical major subdivisions.
Industrial Arts Design|William H. Varnum
Carlson was a little above medium height, dark complexioned, his brow a washboard of horizontal wrinkles.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
E is due to transient induction in horizontal soft iron unsymmetrically placed with regard to the compass.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7|Various
These molds are arranged in rows around a horizontal wheel about eight feet in diameter.
The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.|Edward W. Byrn

British Dictionary definitions for horizontal

horizontal

/ (ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntəl) /

adjective

parallel to the plane of the horizon; level; flatCompare vertical (def. 1)

of or relating to the horizon

measured or contained in a plane parallel to that of the horizon

applied uniformly or equally to all members of a group

economics relating to identical stages of commercial activityhorizontal integration

noun

a horizontal plane, position, line, etc

Derived Formshorizontality or horizontalness, nounhorizontally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for horizontal

horizontal

adj.

1550s, "relating to or near the horizon," from French horizontal, from Latin horizontem (see horizon). Meaning "flat" (i.e., "parallel to the horizon") is from 1630s. Related: horizontally.

horizontal

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of horizontal

Examples from the Web for horizontal

horizontal

adjective

noun

horizontal