rectangular

American  

[rek-tang-gyuh-ler] / rɛkˈtæŋ gyə lər /

adjective

1. shaped like a rectangle.

2. having the base or section in the form of a rectangle.

   a rectangular pyramid.

3. having one or more right angles.

4. forming a right angle.

---

rectangular British  

/ rɛkˈtæŋɡjʊlə /

adjective

1. shaped like a rectangle

2. having or relating to right angles

3. mutually perpendicular

   rectangular coordinates

4. having a base or section shaped like a rectangle

---

Other Word Forms

• nonrectangular adjective
• nonrectangularity noun
• nonrectangularly adverb
• rectangularity noun
• rectangularly adverb
• rectangularness noun
• subrectangular adjective
• unrectangular adjective
• unrectangularly adverb

Etymology

Origin of rectangular

1615–25; < Medieval Latin rēctangul ( um ) rectangle + -ar ¹

Explanation

In geometry, something that is rectangular had four sides and four right angles. Cereal boxes, dollar bills, and many cell phones have a rectangular shape. Anything shaped like a rectangle is rectangular. Your backyard may be rectangular, and your brother's oversized suit jacket might give his body a somewhat rectangular shape. The most important aspect of something that makes it rectangular is those four right angles, and the word itself is rooted in the Latin rectus, "right," and the Old French angle, "angle."

Example Sentences

The shelters - rectangular red-brick buildings with a solid concrete roof and no windows - could accommodate up to 100 people.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

They run as a rectangular banner at the bottom—part of a widget that also shows news, the weather and a calendar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

In the newest version of the detector, the metasurface that absorbs light was redesigned into a circular shape rather than a rectangular one.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

One of the current show’s larger conceptual pieces, “Memorial for the Victims of Organized Religion II,” fills a corner with 48 rectangular portrait-sized photographs, all of them solid black or dark blue.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

I know what she means—round tables are ideal for Autumn so she can see everyone, but oval and rectangular tables make it hard to understand dinner conversation.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer