spherical

[sfer-i-kuhl, sfeer-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spherical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having the form of a sphere; globular.

formed in or on a sphere, as a figure.

of or relating to a sphere or spheres.

pertaining to the heavenly bodies, or to their supposed revolving spheres or shells.

pertaining to the heavenly bodies regarded astrologically as exerting influence on humankind and events.

Often spher·ic.

Origin of spherical

1515–25; < Late Latin sphēric(us) (see spherics¹) + -al¹

Related formsspher·i·cal·i·ty, nounspher·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·spher·ic, adjectivenon·spher·i·cal, adjectivenon·spher·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·spher·i·cal·i·ty, nounqua·si-spher·i·cal, adjectivequa·si-spher·i·cal·ly, adverbsub·spher·ic, adjectivesub·spher·i·cal, adjectiveun·spher·i·cal, adjective

Synonyms for spherical

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spherical ON THESAURUS.COM

1. rounded.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for spherical

rounded, celestial, circular, globular, orbicular, spheroidal, astronomical, heavenly, global, rotund, round, stellar, globate

Examples from the Web for spherical

Historical Examples of spherical

It was as if they did not exist in this spherical vehicle of the dimensions.
Wanderer of Infinity
Harl Vincent
"By spherical trigonometry, certainly," said Mendelssohn pleasantly.
Dreamers of the Ghetto
I. Zangwill
It's an addition to our data of spherical objects that have arrived upon this earth.
The Book of the Damned
Charles Fort
Spherical: in the form of a sphere: a body in which all diameters are equal.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
But how is it that they are subdued into that spherical obedience, like a crystal of wavellite?
Proserpina, Volume 1
John Ruskin

British Dictionary definitions for spherical

spherical

spheric

adjective

shaped like a sphere

of or relating to a spherespherical geometry

geometry formed on the surface of or inside a spherea spherical triangle

of or relating to heavenly bodies
of or relating to the spheres of the Ptolemaic or the Copernican system

Derived Formsspherically, adverbsphericalness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for spherical

adj.

1520s, from sphere + -ical.

spherical in Medicine

spherical

[sfîr′ĭ-kəl, sfĕr′-]

adj.

Having the shape of or approximating a sphere; globular.