vertical

[vur-ti-kuhl]

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.

noun

1. something vertical, as a line or plane.

2. a vertical or upright position.

3. a vertical structural member in a truss.

vertical

/ 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)

noun

1. a vertical plane, position, or line

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertical¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertical¹

C16: from Late Latin verticālis, from Latin _vertex

Synonym Study

See upright.

Example Sentences

Additionally, these verticals facilitate the distribution and scale of Google’s AI products.

Read more on MarketWatch

The safety margin applied had been "negated by the unexpected onset of the large vertical oscillations, which caused the car to touch the ground", he said.

Read more on BBC

As Snapchat’s popularity soared, fueling the rise of vertical videos, bigger social media rivals took notice.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Results were buoyed by growth in its architecture, engineering, construction, and operations vertical.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At the same time, the company offers a level of AI vertical integration that even the other big tech companies can’t quite match.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• perpendicular 
• steep