rotund

American  

[roh-tuhnd] / roʊˈtʌnd /

adjective

1. round in shape; rounded.

   ripe, rotund fruit.

2. plump; fat.

   Synonyms:

   portly, stout, corpulent, fleshy, obese

3. full-toned or sonorous.

   rotund speeches.

---

rotund British  

/ rəʊˈtʌnd /

adjective

1. rounded or spherical in shape

2. plump

3. sonorous or grandiloquent; full in tone, style of speaking, etc

---

Other Word Forms

• rotundity noun
• rotundly adverb
• subrotund adjective
• subrotundly adverb
• subrotundness noun
• unrotund adjective

Etymology

Origin of rotund

1695–1705; < Latin rotundus round, circular, derivative of rota wheel; round ¹

Example Sentences

Played with boundless enthusiasm by S. Z. Sakall, Felix is one of the great, undercelebrated chef characters in popular culture: rotund, ebullient, deeply competent, and visibly delighted by his own work.

From Salon

Police publicly released a blurry snapshot of a rotund man in a dark jacket and hat, and the surveillance footage, sparking a flood of online speculation.

From The Wall Street Journal

The fellow was tall and rotund, with a misshapen nose and a hat pulled low over his eyes.

From Literature

His case came to be known as the Fat Leonard scandal because of Francis' rotund frame at that time.

From BBC

Where Wayne’s Batman is lithe and graceful, The Penguin is awkward and rotund; while Wayne is charismatic, the Penguin is a weirdo, a quack.

From Salon