adjective
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of, relating to, or having vertigo
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producing dizziness
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whirling
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changeable; unstable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vertiginous
1600–10; < Latin vertīginōsus dizzy, equivalent to vertīgin- (stem of vertīgō ) vertigo + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
To be vertiginous is to be dizzy and woozy. It's a disorienting feeling. There's a famous movie called "Vertigo," which is named after a condition of extreme dizziness, often caused by heights. The word vertiginous applies to similar feelings and sensations. The flu makes many people feel vertiginous. Sometimes when you stand up too fast, you can get vertiginous for a second, and most people feel vertiginous after spinning in a circle. Vertigo is a Latin word that originally meant "whirling or spinning," from its root vertere, "to turn."
Vocabulary lists containing vertiginous
The Milagro Beanfield War
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Orphan Train
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"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbus Tertius" by Jorge Luis Borges
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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.
William Forsythe’s “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude” ended the program with Colasante, Marine Ganio and Hannah O’Neill floating on stage like water lilies on point in their green tutus.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2022
This weekend brings the second, a contemporary trifecta of David Dawson’s “A Million Kisses to My Skin,” William Forsythe’s “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude” and Crystal Pite’s “Emergence.”
From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2016
Vertiginous feeling of being kicked forward in time: catapulted toward the finish line.
From Slate • Aug. 22, 2012
Here dwells, in lieu of tender grace, Vertiginous allure, whereof A cruel Venus ruled a race, Presiding o'er malignant love.
From Enamels and Cameos and other Poems by Lee, Agnes
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.
