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

But to those on the inside of the podcaster-comedian boom, another swing of the pendulum already seemed to be coming. — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026

Tuesday night was a reminder that the pendulum of American politics continues to swing, and politics is never permanent. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

The pendulum has swung so far now that SpaceX seems increasingly disinterested in the US government for most contracts outside of data services, such as Starshield for military communications and observations. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026

Firms that aligned with the president are preparing for a political pendulum swing — and a potential barrage of investigations. — Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 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