pendulum

noun

pen·​du·​lum ˈpen-jə-ləm 

ˈpen-dyə-, 

-də-

1

: a body suspended from a fixed point so as to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity and commonly used to regulate movements (as of clockwork)

2

: something (such as a state of affairs) that alternates between opposites

doesn't take much to swing the pendulum of opinion the other way

Examples of pendulum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some say the pendulum has swung too far since the 2008 housing crisis. — Julie Z. Weil, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2026

So this new approach is like the proverbial pendulum swinging away from a concentration on senior candidates being selected. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

On flat ground, if the pendulum’s arm points forward, the shell rolls forward to compensate, and as long as the pendulum keeps the center of mass in front of the center of the ball, RoboBall will keep rolling forward. — IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026

Besides, fashionwise, the pendulum’s going to swing back to streaking. — Vanessa Friedman, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, noun derivative from neuter of Latin pendulus pendulous

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pendulum

• Foucault pendulum

Kids Definition

pendulum

noun

pen·​du·​lum ˈpen-jə-ləm 

: a body hung from a fixed point so as to swing freely back and forth under the action of gravity

Etymology

from scientific Latin pendulum "something suspended so as to swing freely," from Latin pendulus "suspended," from pendēre "to hang" — related to depend, perpendicular