vertiginous

American  

[ver-tij-uh-nuhs] / vərˈtɪdʒ ə nəs /

adjective

1. whirling; spinning; rotary.

   vertiginous currents of air.

2. affected with vertigo; dizzy.

3. liable or threatening to cause vertigo.

   a vertiginous climb.

4. apt to change quickly; unstable.

   a vertiginous economy.

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vertiginous British  

/ vɜːˈtɪdʒɪnəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or having vertigo

2. producing dizziness

3. whirling

4. changeable; unstable

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Other Word Forms

• unvertiginous adjective
• unvertiginously adverb
• unvertiginousness noun
• vertiginously adverb
• vertiginousness noun

Etymology

Origin of vertiginous

1600–10; < Latin vertīginōsus dizzy, equivalent to vertīgin- (stem of vertīgō ) vertigo + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

Arguably the most significant development in efforts to curb climate change -- the vertiginous cost reductions of solar and wind power, batteries and electric vehicles -- was seeded long before Paris.

From Barron's

As Johnson puts it, “the vertiginous reality is that now, in the 2020s, we are once again living through the 1970s.”

From Los Angeles Times

One of the great theatrical speeches written in the last 25 years, this vertiginous paean to America’s pastime was no doubt a factor in O’Hare’s win.

From Los Angeles Times

The individual tiles and reinforcement bars create a striking impression of an enthralling and vertiginous centrifugal motion.

From Los Angeles Times

“Floor Scrapers,” a personal favorite, assumes an intimate vantage point of looking down toward the workmen’s vigorous labor, which results in a floor that appears vertiginously tilted up.

From Los Angeles Times