pendulous
Americanadjective
-
hanging down loosely.
pendulous blossoms.
- Synonyms:
- pendent
-
swinging freely; oscillating.
-
vacillating or undecided; wavering.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of pendulous
First recorded in 1595–1605, pendulous is from the Latin word pendulus hanging, swinging. See pend, -ulous
Explanation
Walking a path with pendulous trees, the kind with hanging branches, is easier if you're five rather than seven feet tall. Pendulous most commonly refers to branches of trees or bushes, or other plant matter like flowers or leaves that droop or bend downward. You could hide easily in the Amazon rain forest because of all the pendulous plant life. When not referring to plants, pendulous means "saggy" or "droopy."
Vocabulary lists containing pendulous
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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.
Like the album, her set opened with “Saoko,” a song whose sputtery jazz intro quickly gave way to a pendulous bass line that sounded like a spaceship parallel parking on the roof.
From Washington Post • Sep. 27, 2022
The flower stalks typically reach over 10 feet tall and are adorned with as many as 20 strikingly beautiful, wonderfully fragrant, white, red-throated pendulous trumpet blooms.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 23, 2022
This cloud is large, low, dark and pendulous.
From The Guardian • Dec. 30, 2016
If you won’t consider a slightly shorter tie or a slightly chunkier knot, adding a vest to the mix would go a long way to at least keep that pendulous cravat under wraps.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2016
“No, not very much,” admitted Major Sanderson with a sharp, nervous laugh and pulled at his pendulous second chin lovingly as though it were a long goatee.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
