spherical
Americanadjective
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shaped like a sphere
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of or relating to a sphere
spherical geometry
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geometry formed on the surface of or inside a sphere
a spherical triangle
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of or relating to heavenly bodies
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of or relating to the spheres of the Ptolemaic or the Copernican system
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Other Word Forms
- nonspheric adjective
- nonspherical adjective
- nonsphericality noun
- nonspherically adverb
- quasi-spherical adjective
- quasi-spherically adverb
- sphericality noun
- spherically adverb
- sphericalness noun
- subspheric adjective
- subspherical adjective
- unspherical adjective
Etymology
Origin of spherical
1515–25; < Late Latin sphēric ( us ) ( see spherics 1) + -al 1
Explanation
A ball is spherical; it's shaped like a sphere — a three-dimensional version of the two-dimensional circle. The ball image is a good one since the word sphere comes from very similar-sounding Greek and Latin words, both of which mean "ball." The word sphere, however, has much broader usage: we use it in to discussing astronomy, our earth, even our social rank (as in "one's sphere of influence"). Spherical, by contrast, has a much more limited use. It basically is a description of shape: if it's spherical, it simply looks like a ball.
Vocabulary lists containing spherical
50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Unit 2: Evolution
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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.
Other noteworthy pieces included dresses with spherical birdcage-inspired silhouettes, while other models wore transparent vest tops with their dresses gathered around their waists.
From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026
It is impossible to draw a flat, rectangular map of the spherical Earth without distortions.
From Slate • Jan. 21, 2026
That is partly the result of viewing the spherical Earth on a flat map…
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
They added a molecular tag to the spherical nucleic acids that glowed under near-infrared light.
From Science Daily • Nov. 22, 2025
Among the little spherical formations of lint under the desk a piece of cardboard had been wedged under one corner to make the desk level.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
