pear-shaped

American  

[pair-sheypt] / ˈpɛərˌʃeɪpt /

adjective

1. having the shape of a pear; tapering near the top and bulging toward the base or bottom.

   a pear-shaped vase.

2. (of a vocal tone) clear, resonant, and without harshness; full-bodied.

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Etymology

Origin of pear-shaped

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Westinghouse built the silver, pear-shaped device in 1937 and it became known as the “world’s first industrial atom smasher.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025

But that was where it all went pear-shaped, because Mr Plaud had made a fundamental error.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2024

They are small, pear-shaped insects that come in a variety of colors, from green, red and yellow to black, brown and gray.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023

In costume, he has an enormous head, a pear-shaped gray wolf with googly eyes, a red Chiefs jersey and matching flower-print pants.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2023

Every night the moment returns to him: when he clasped that pear-shaped diamond between his thumb and forefinger, made huge by the lens of his loupe, and believed he held the one-hundred-and-thirty-three-carat Sea of Flames.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr