adjective
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shaped like a rectangle
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having or relating to right angles
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mutually perpendicular
rectangular coordinates
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having a base or section shaped like a rectangle
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing rectangular
Geometry - Introductory
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Geometry - Middle School
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Number and Operations: Fractions
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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.
Another project is the laborious renovation of the Reflecting Pool, the 2,028-foot rectangular water basin on the National Mall.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
As the 65-year-old was using a pickax to remove what he thought was a rectangular piece of concrete, the object moved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The pizza chain aims to boost sales with a new rectangular pie geared toward individual orders, as more Americans eat meals alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
In Welshpool, Powys, cropmarks of a rectangular Neolithic long barrow has been seen that dates back around 5,000 years, while in Conwy new details have been collected of buried Roman buildings at Caerhun Roman fort.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Jinjoo looked at a yellow rectangular one and squealed in happiness.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
