horizontal

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

adjective

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

2. flat or level.

   a horizontal position.

3. being in a prone or supine position; recumbent.

   His bad back has kept him horizontal for a week.

4. near, on, or parallel to the horizon.

5. of or relating to the horizon.

6. measured or contained in a plane parallel to the horizon.

   a horizontal distance.

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

8. 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.

9. 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

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

horizontal

/ ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntəl /

adjective

1. parallel to the plane of the horizon; level; flat Compare vertical

2. of or relating to the horizon

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

4. applied uniformly or equally to all members of a group

5. economics relating to identical stages of commercial activity

   horizontal integration

noun

1. a horizontal plane, position, line, etc

Other Word Forms

• horizontality noun
• horizontally adverb
• horizontalness noun
• subhorizontal adjective
• subhorizontally adverb
• subhorizontalness noun
• unhorizontal adjective
• unhorizontally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of horizontal¹

1545–55; < Latin horizont- (stem of horizōn ) horizon + -al ¹

Example Sentences

If gold was an effective hedge against inflation — if it protected your purchasing power — that chart would be a reasonably stable horizontal line from left to right.

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In the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, drillers that once spent more than two weeks drilling a well can now drill horizontal wells extending over nearly 2 miles in just four days.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Such frames are made up of horizontal beams and vertical columns, and feature a largely rectangular skeleton.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Voters can hold incumbents accountable in elections — political scientists call this “vertical accountability” — as can coequal branches of government, which we call “horizontal accountability.”

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They sliced it into nine horizontal sections and analysed it for clues about the animal's diet, environment and movement.

Read more on BBC