lenticular
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a lens.
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biconvex; convexo-convex.
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resembling the seed of a lentil in form; lentil-shaped.
adjective
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Also: lentoid. shaped like a biconvex lens
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of or concerned with a lens or lenses
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shaped like a lentil seed
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of or relating to a galaxy with a large central bulge, small disc, but no spiral arms, intermediate in shape between spiral and elliptical galaxies
Other Word Forms
- lenticularly adverb
- postlenticular adjective
- sublenticular adjective
Etymology
Origin of lenticular
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin lenticulāris lentillike, equivalent to lenticul ( a ) ( see lenticle) + -āris -ar 1
Explanation
The adjective lenticular describes things with a round shape that's thinner on the edges and widest in the middle, like a lentil. A classic flying saucer is also lenticular. Lenticular is sometimes defined as "lens-shaped," and its Latin root is lens, "lentil." A double-convex lens is shaped like a lentil (imagine two spoons facing each other to get the idea). Lenticular can describe that particular shape, like a lenticular cloud formation. It can also mean "relating to a lens," so eye doctors diagnose conditions like lenticular astigmatism, which affects the eye's lens and causes blurred vision.
Vocabulary lists containing lenticular
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.
This amazing shot shows a double lenticular cloud lit up by the lava from the Villarrica volcano in Chile.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2025
At most, the movie takes his image from flat to lenticular.
From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2024
I’ve gotten into a method of it because I’ve started specifically focusing on lenticular stuff, so I’m constantly thinking about how things can change and look differently.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2023
The packaging includes a holographic style, lenticular slip cover and a fold-out Bandits’ map with the essay “Guerrilla Fantasy” by critic David Sterritt on the back.
From Washington Times • Jul. 7, 2023
But Sir Charles Wheaton in 1838 constructed the first instrument, and in 1849 Brewster introduced the present form of lenticular lenses.
From Inventions in the Century by Doolittle, William Henry
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.
