perpendicular

adjective per·pen·dic·u·lar \ ˌpər-pən-ˈdi-kyə-lər \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of perpendicular

1 a : standing at right angles to the plane of the horizon : exactly upright

b : being at right angles to a given line or plane

2 : extremely steep : precipitous

3 often capitalized : of or relating to a medieval English Gothic style of architecture in which vertical lines predominate

4 : relating to, uniting, or consisting of individuals of dissimilar type or on different levels

—

perpendicularity

play \ˌpər-pən-ˌdi-kyə-ˈler-ə-tē, -ˈla-rə-\ noun

—

perpendicularly

play \ˌpər-pən-ˈdi-kyə-lər-lē\ adverb

See perpendicular defined for English-language learners

See perpendicular defined for kids

Examples of perpendicular in a Sentence

She lives on the street that is perpendicular to mine.
river rafters staring awestruck at the canyon's nearly perpendicular cliffs

Recent Examples of perpendicular from the Web

Joey Lucchesi practically froze in the middle of the windup, his right leg perpendicular to his body.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres notes: Lucchesi's move; offensive catchers; watch out for Gyorko," 10 May 2018
Your right shin should be perpendicular to the floor and your right knee should be stacked above your right ankle.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "The Difference Between Forward and Reverse Lunges, and How to Choose Which to Do," 2 May 2018
Westland Avenue runs perpendicular to Farmington Avenue and contains a mix of home styles and sizes.

— joan walden, courant.com, "63 Westland Avenue, West Hartford," 19 Jan. 2018
By means of this instrument, which operates on an aluminum slide, Lindbergh, crouched in the cockpit of his plane, at a distance of one-half mile can obtain an uninterrupted view of objects in a space 350 feet long and 250 feet perpendicular.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "April 29, 1927: Spirit of St. Louis takes flight," 29 Apr. 2018
Your right shin should be perpendicular to the floor and your right knee should be stacked above your right ankle.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "How Lucy Hale's Two-Part Lower-Body Move Can Strengthen Your Butt, Legs, and Core," 27 Apr. 2018
The comet's 416-year orbit is skewed nearly perpendicular to the plane of the solar system, which helps keep the stream of material following behind the comet from being scattered by the gravitational pull of the planets.

— andrew fazekas, National Geographic, "How to See the 2018 Lyrid Meteor Shower," 20 Apr. 2018
How: Loop a light resistance band around a doorknob and stand on your right leg, with your right hip and shoulder perpendicular to the door on your left.

— christine yu, Outside Online, "Don't Forget to Strengthen Your Feet," 10 Apr. 2018
As Bridges rose and cocked the ball behind his head with his right hand, Konate prepared for takeoff inside the restricted area, sprung off two feet and extended his arms perpendicular to the court.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "Year-End Awards: The Best and Worst of the 2017–18 College Basketball Season," 10 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of perpendicular

Middle English perpendiculer, from Middle French, from Latin perpendicularis, from perpendiculum plumb line, from per- + pendēre to hang — more at pendant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

perpendicular Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of perpendicular

vertical, perpendicular, plumb mean being at right angles to a base line. vertical suggests a line or direction rising straight upward toward a zenith.

- the side of the cliff is almost vertical

perpendicular may stress the straightness of a line making a right angle with any other line, not necessarily a horizontal one.

- the parallel bars are perpendicular to the support posts

plumb stresses an exact verticality determined (as with a plumb line) by earth's gravity.

- make sure that the wall is plumb

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

perpendicular

noun

Definition of perpendicular

: a line at right angles to a line or plane (as of the horizon)

Recent Examples of perpendicular from the Web

Photos from the scene showed the plane perpendicular to highway lanes about 75 miles south of San Francisco.

— CBS News, "Plane lands on California highway median; no injuries reported," 18 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of perpendicular

1551

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

PERPENDICULAR Defined for English Language Learners

perpendicular

adjective

Definition of perpendicular for English Language Learners

: going straight up or to the side at a 90 degree angle from another line or surface

PERPENDICULAR Defined for Kids

perpendicular

adjective per·pen·dic·u·lar \ ˌpər-pən-ˈdi-kyə-lər \

Definition of perpendicular for Students

1 : exactly vertical

2 : being at right angles to a line or surface

The letter T is made with two perpendicular lines.

—

perpendicularly

adverb

perpendicular

noun

Definition of perpendicular for Students

: a line, surface, or position at right angles to another line, surface, or position

Learn More about perpendicular

See words that rhyme with perpendicular Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for perpendicular Spanish Central: Translation of perpendicular Nglish: Translation of perpendicular for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of perpendicular for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up perpendicular? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

perpendicular

Definition of perpendicular

perpendicularity

perpendicularly

Examples of perpendicular in a Sentence

Recent Examples of perpendicular from the Web

Origin and Etymology of perpendicular

perpendicular Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of perpendicular

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

perpendicular

Definition of perpendicular

Recent Examples of perpendicular from the Web

First Known Use of perpendicular

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

PERPENDICULAR Defined for English Language Learners

perpendicular

Definition of perpendicular for English Language Learners

PERPENDICULAR Defined for Kids

perpendicular

Definition of perpendicular for Students

perpendicularly

perpendicular

Definition of perpendicular for Students

Learn More about perpendicular

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

9 Words from the Magical Realm

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word