hexagonal

adjective hex·ag·o·nal \ hek-ˈsa-gə-nᵊl \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of hexagonal

1 : having six angles and six sides

2 : having a hexagon as section or base

3 : relating to or being a crystal system characterized by three equal lateral axes intersecting at angles of 60 degrees and a vertical axis of variable length at right angles

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hexagonally

play \hek-ˈsa-gə-nᵊl-ē\ adverb

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Recent Examples of hexagonal from the Web

Likewise, the proposed building's geometric skin, which features a hexagonal pattern bearing rectangular windows, is inspired by a similar pattern inside the dome.

— carolina a. miranda, latimes.com, "Leaning into the future: Rem Koolhaas' OMA releases first look of Wilshire Boulevard Temple event space," 30 Mar. 2018
The hexagonal tube required steel frame below the walkway.

— mike lindblom, The Seattle Times, "After 5 years, walk-bike bridge design for Northgate light-rail station still unfinished," 28 Jan. 2018
At the center of this nature reserve lies a calm, hexagonal lake, created in the 2nd century by Emperor Trajan.

— lee marshall, WSJ, "How to Spend an Indulgent Day in Rome for $2,000—or $400," 7 Mar. 2018
And new directional signs along outside staircases and escalators follow sketches found in Walter O’Malley’s files and echo the hexagonal scoreboard design.

— matt jaffe, Los Angeles Magazine, "Why Dodger Stadium Is One of a Kind," 7 Mar. 2018
Saturn, the gas giant next door to Jupiter, wears a hexagonal shape on its north pole — but the geometry is all the work of a single storm.

— National Geographic, "New Photo Shows Huge Cyclone Horde on Jupiter," 7 Mar. 2018
The hexagonal shapes of ice crystals in the atmosphere act like prisms, refracting and bending the sun’s rays in a horizontal fashion and creating the small rainbows.

— kathryn prociv, Washington Post, "Pic of the Week: Brilliant sun dog shines over the Mountain State," 23 Feb. 2018
Inside were decades-old blueprints for a hexagonal structure on Sheldon Nunatak: Mountain House #1.

— nikki ekstein, chicagotribune.com, "Denali National Park welcomes its first, and last, luxury hotel," 20 Feb. 2018
Researchers probing water’s structural properties have found almost 20 different forms of ice crystals, with water molecules arranged in configurations from disordered to hexagonal to cubic.

— marissa fessenden, Smithsonian, "Scientists Make Weird Type of Ice Halfway Between Solid and Liquid," 7 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hexagonal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.