per·pen·dic·u·lar
ˌpər-pən-ˈdi-kyə-lər 
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
: a line at right angles to a line or plane (as of the horizon)
Synonyms
Examples of perpendicular in a Sentence
Adjective
She lives on the street that is perpendicular to mine.
river rafters staring awestruck at the canyon's nearly perpendicular cliffs
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Showing the kids how it's done, Bacon held Sedgwick horizontally by one arm and one leg before doing a perpendicular spin to lower her down.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
The rows were spaced approximately 50m to 100m apart and along the rows the collar spacings were 70m to 150m. There were four near vertical drill holes and three drill holes with azimuth perpendicular to the pattern that were made to test that there is no drill pattern bias in the results.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
The yellow lines perpendicular to the path of totality, with times also indicated in black, show the local time of maximum eclipse.
—Michael Zeiler, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024
Step 3: Assemble the Cubby Box Align the three cubby dividers on the edges, perpendicular to the backboard of the cubbies, with two of the dividers as the sides (positioned on either side of the backboard) and the third centered in the middle.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Place your left forearm down on the couch, centered and perpendicular to your torso.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
According to National Geographic, equinoxes are when the Earth’s subsolar point (where the sun’s rays shine perpendicular to the Earth’s surface) passes through its Equator.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
That’s where the mountains, stretching from east to west perpendicular to the storm, come in.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2024
The other filament perpendicular to the curve is from yet another piece of debris.
—Jennifer Welsh, Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2010
All this means is running a finesse hook directly through the center of the bait perpendicular to the body.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Get into a half kneeling position with the anchor directly on your left side facing perpendicular to the line of the band.
—Jay Dicharry, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2020
Most people will place their rug perpendicular to their bed; the size will often come down to the dimensions of the room and how your furniture is laid out.
—Kelsey Mulvey, ELLE Decor, 13 July 2023
Aim to keep your forearm perpendicular to the floor, and keep your abs and shoulder blades tight.
—Men's Health, 7 July 2023
Rest right elbow on floor directly below right shoulder, with right forearm perpendicular to body and palm resting on the ground.
—Megan Falk, Women's Health, 28 June 2023
What to Look for in Amazon Watches for Men Case Size: The case size is determined by the width of the watch perpendicular to the strap, not including the crown—the knob on the side.
—Brad Lanphear, Men's Health, 20 June 2023
Adjective
Ever the muralist, Thalhammer painted a rainbow of large vertical stripes directly on two perpendicular walls, with green at the corner where the planes meet.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Showing the kids how it's done, Bacon held Sedgwick horizontally by one arm and one leg before doing a perpendicular spin to lower her down.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
The rows were spaced approximately 50m to 100m apart and along the rows the collar spacings were 70m to 150m. There were four near vertical drill holes and three drill holes with azimuth perpendicular to the pattern that were made to test that there is no drill pattern bias in the results.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
The yellow lines perpendicular to the path of totality, with times also indicated in black, show the local time of maximum eclipse.
—Michael Zeiler, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024
Step 3: Assemble the Cubby Box Align the three cubby dividers on the edges, perpendicular to the backboard of the cubbies, with two of the dividers as the sides (positioned on either side of the backboard) and the third centered in the middle.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Place your left forearm down on the couch, centered and perpendicular to your torso.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
According to National Geographic, equinoxes are when the Earth’s subsolar point (where the sun’s rays shine perpendicular to the Earth’s surface) passes through its Equator.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
That’s where the mountains, stretching from east to west perpendicular to the storm, come in.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Noun
Hold the knife perpendicular to the wedge and cut it into ¼-inch-wide pieces.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2024
The other filament perpendicular to the curve is from yet another piece of debris.
—Jennifer Welsh, Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2010
All this means is running a finesse hook directly through the center of the bait perpendicular to the body.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
Get into a half kneeling position with the anchor directly on your left side facing perpendicular to the line of the band.
—Jay Dicharry, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2020
Most people will place their rug perpendicular to their bed; the size will often come down to the dimensions of the room and how your furniture is laid out.
—Kelsey Mulvey, ELLE Decor, 13 July 2023
Aim to keep your forearm perpendicular to the floor, and keep your abs and shoulder blades tight.
—Men's Health, 7 July 2023
Rest right elbow on floor directly below right shoulder, with right forearm perpendicular to body and palm resting on the ground.
—Megan Falk, Women's Health, 28 June 2023
What to Look for in Amazon Watches for Men Case Size: The case size is determined by the width of the watch perpendicular to the strap, not including the crown—the knob on the side.
—Brad Lanphear, Men's Health, 20 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perpendicular.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near perpendicular
Cite this Entry
“Perpendicular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perpendicular. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perpendicular
1 of 2 adjective
per·pen·dic·u·lar
ˌpər-pən-ˈdik-yə-lər
1
: exactly vertical or upright
2
: forming a right angle with each other or with a given line or plane
perpendicularly
adverb
perpendicular
2 of 2 noun
: a perpendicular line
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