vertical

American  

[vur-ti-kuhl] / ˈvɜr tɪ kəl /

adjective

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

   Antonyms:

   horizontal

2. of, relating to, or situated at the vertex.

3. of or relating to the cranial vertex.

4. Botany.

   1. (of a leaf ) having the blade in a perpendicular plane, so that neither of the surfaces can be called upper or lower.

   2. being in the same direction as the axis; lengthwise.

5. of, constituting, or resulting in vertical combination.

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

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

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noun

1. something vertical, as a line or plane.

2. a vertical or upright position.

3. a vertical structural member in a truss.

vertical British  

/ ˌvɜːtɪˈkælɪtɪ, ˈvɜːtɪkəl /

adjective

1. at right angles to the horizon; perpendicular; upright Compare horizontal

   a vertical wall

2. extending in a perpendicular direction

3. at or in the vertex or zenith; directly overhead

4. economics of or relating to associated or consecutive, though not identical, stages of industrial activity

   vertical integration

   vertical amalgamation

5. of or relating to the vertex

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

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noun

1. a vertical plane, position, or line

2. a vertical post, pillar, or other structural member

Related Words

See upright.

Other Word Forms

• nonvertical adjective
• nonverticality noun
• nonvertically adverb
• nonverticalness noun
• subvertical adjective
• subvertically adverb
• subverticalness noun
• unvertical adjective
• unvertically adverb
• verticalism noun
• verticality noun
• vertically adverb
• verticalness noun

Etymology

Origin of vertical

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin verticālis, equivalent to vertic- (stem of vertex ) vertex + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

For the first time, astronomers have charted the vertical structure of Uranus's upper atmosphere, revealing how temperature and electrically charged particles change with altitude across the planet.

From Science Daily

The Future of Everything is The Wall Street Journal’s flagship live event, bringing together the most compelling newsmakers from across every vertical WSJ covers—from finance, technology and economic policy to sports, streaming and style.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company’s investments this year will focus on creating an integrated global technology platform, building new products and verticals, and expanding the geographic footprint, according to the analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal

More recently, smartphones have given rise to short videos in an untraditional vertical orientation, like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

From Barron's

These statistical tools more accurately represent horizontal and vertical beam variations than simplified approaches used in earlier studies, leading to a clearer picture of how random pointing errors behave.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• perpendicular
• steep