horizontal

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

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.

Origin of horizontal

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

Related formshor·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, adverbsub·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

Related Words for horizontal

even, level, straight, smooth, uniform, plane, flush, parallel, regular, recumbent, accumbent, aligned

Examples from the Web for horizontal

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of horizontal

And bit by bit—how we don't know—the horizontal zigzag is accomplished.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
Then come the struts, the main pieces which join the horizontal beams.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
This consists of two sections, one horizontal, the other vertical.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
Then he remounted and gripped the pipe in the middle of its horizontal section.
Keziah Coffin
Joseph C. Lincoln
Tree of slow growth, with horizontal, yellowish-barked branches.
Trees of the Northern United States
Austin C. Apgar

British Dictionary definitions for horizontal

horizontal

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

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.