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 horizontally

diagonally, vertically, crossways, angular, athwart, awry, crisscross, cross, crossing, over, perpendicular, sideways, thwart, transverse, traverse, transversal, aslant, contrariwise, longways, mullioned

Examples from the Web for horizontally

Contemporary Examples of horizontally

Faulkner, Whitman, and Dickinson did not labor in vain; their books live on, horizontally, stacked like bricks in a display case.
A Teacher Returns to the Classroom and Gets Schooled
Nick Romeo
September 1, 2014
Johns took the original source and mirrored it horizontally, creating a large missing void in the center of the work.
Jasper Johns: The Secrets of a Master at Work
Justin Jones
March 15, 2014
Thigh-high leather boots… Gucci ostrich skin leather jackets… Horizontally striped posing briefs… More leather jackets...
An Open Letter to Buzz Bissinger
Sean Macaulay
March 27, 2013
According to one publicist, the answer lies in branching out into a "horizontally integrated economic model."
The Economy of the Aging Sex Kitten
Nicole LaPorte
November 15, 2010
She was walking down the stairs of East High School in a pair of horizontally striped bell bottoms.
"The Gift of Cancer"
Mark McKinnon
February 22, 2010

Historical Examples of horizontally

In carving a round of beef, slice it horizontally and very thin.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Now take these bits and weave them horizontally into a thick mass.
Greener Than You Think
Ward Moore
This they tow to the spot, and sink it horizontally with mud and stones.
The Western World
W.H.G. Kingston
There are two paladins who can be cut in half, one horizontally and other perpendicularly.
Diversions in Sicily
H. Festing Jones
Disposed after the manner of a Bar,—crossing 105 the field, that is, horizontally.
The Handbook to English Heraldry
Charles Boutell

British Dictionary definitions for horizontally

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 horizontally

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.