vertical

[vur-ti-kuhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vertical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being in a position or direction perpendicular to the plane of the horizon; upright; plumb.

of, relating to, or situated at the vertex.

of or relating to the cranial vertex.

Botany.

(of a leaf) having the blade in a perpendicular plane, so that neither of the surfaces can be called upper or lower.
being in the same direction as the axis; lengthwise.

of, constituting, or resulting in vertical combination.

of or relating to a product or service from initial planning to sale.

of, relating to, or noting a stratified society, nation, etc.

noun

something vertical, as a line or plane.

a vertical or upright position.

a vertical structural member in a truss.

Origin of vertical

1550–60; < Latin verticālis, equivalent to vertic- (stem of vertex) vertex + -ālis -al¹

Related formsver·ti·cal·i·ty, ver·ti·cal·ness, ver·ti·cal·ism, nounver·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·ver·ti·cal, adjectivenon·ver·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·ver·ti·cal·ness, nounnon·ver·ti·cal·i·ty, nounsub·ver·ti·cal, adjectivesub·ver·ti·cal·ly, adverbsub·ver·ti·cal·ness, nounun·ver·ti·cal, adjectiveun·ver·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms for vertical

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vertical ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See upright.

Antonyms for vertical

1. horizontal.

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

Related Words for vertical

steep, plumb, erect, perpendicular, sheer, up-and-down, upward, cocked, straight-up

Examples from the Web for vertical

Contemporary Examples of vertical

Two police assigned to the apartment on a detail were doing a “vertical patrol” up the stairs when the door opened.
New York's Next Killer-Cop Grand Jury
Jacob Siegel
December 6, 2014
They structured themselves not in vertical hierarchies but in networks, each member responding to conditions on the ground.
How the NSA Became a Killing Machine
Shane Harris
November 9, 2014
There was one very large and easily identifiable piece of debris floating, the vertical stabilizer.
MH370 Debris Is Lost Forever, Can the Plane Be Found Without It?
Clive Irving
September 7, 2014
The hybrid aircraft have a vertical takeoff and landing capability.
U.S. Diplomats and Marines Close Embassy and Flee Libya Fighting
Jamie Dettmer
July 27, 2014
And yet Breitbart decided to commission him, of all available artists, to create the face of its California vertical.
Breitbart Twerks Pelosi With Credibility-Destroying Ad
Emily Shire
April 8, 2014

Historical Examples of vertical

This consists of two sections, one horizontal, the other vertical.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
Vertical staving was used to carry the wale around the stern.
The Migrations of an American Boat Type
Howard I. Chapelle
They had neither water nor provisions, and were exposed to a vertical sun.
The Pirate and The Three Cutters
Frederick Marryat
The worst form it can have is that of a vertical plane or upright flat, and next to this the worst form is an inclined plane.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
About 15th January we crossed the sun, which for a short time was vertical at noon.
Six Letters From the Colonies
Robert Seaton

British Dictionary definitions for vertical

vertical

adjective

at right angles to the horizon; perpendicular; uprighta vertical wall Compare horizontal (def. 1)

extending in a perpendicular direction

at or in the vertex or zenith; directly overhead

economics of or relating to associated or consecutive, though not identical, stages of industrial activityvertical integration; vertical amalgamation

of or relating to the vertex

anatomy of, relating to, or situated at the top of the head (vertex)

noun

a vertical plane, position, or line

a vertical post, pillar, or other structural member

Derived Formsverticality (ˌvɜːtɪˈkælɪtɪ), nounvertically, adverb

Word Origin for vertical

C16: from Late Latin verticālis, from Latin vertex

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 vertical

adj.

1550s, "of or at the vertex, directly overhead," from Middle French vertical (1540s), from Late Latin verticalis "overhead," from Latin vertex (genitive verticis) "highest point" (see vertex). Meaning "straight up and down" is first recorded 1704.

vertical in Medicine

vertical

[vûr′tĭ-kəl]

adj.

Of or relating to the vertex of the head.

Being or situated at right angles to the horizon; upright.