adjective
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provided with or spanned by an arch or arches
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shaped like an arch; curved
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of arched
Explanation
Something that's arched is curved or rounded. An arched doorway has a curve at the top, and an arched eyebrow is raised and curved in surprise or skepticism. You can use the adjective arched to describe architectural details like arched windows and ceilings: "The long, arched passageways gave the palace a certain elegance." A curving vine across a trellis is arched, and so is the curve at the bottom of your foot. The root of arched is the Old French arche, "arch of a bridge," from Latin arcus, "a bow."
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.
Metres away, other photographers yelled instructions to ornately dressed young women who held their fingers in victory signs and arched their backs for the camera.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Then the dusty elephant with those arched and dome-like toenails that is standing on my breastbone is lighter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
The old factory at 120 Jefferson Northeast, a sand-colored brick building with its distinctive arched entryway, had gone out of business, and quickly.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
Each piece in the Beverly Hills gallery, illuminated by an arched spotlight and flanked by a label chronicling its history, carried the aura of a Renaissance painting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
Through the outer courtyards and along the corridors we went, going with the crowd to whom this was evidently a nightly routine, and into a large vaulted chamber with arched entrances opening on three sides.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
