Illustration of spandrel
- S spandrel 1
spandrel
noun
span·drel
ˈspan-drəl 
variants
or less commonly spandril
1
: the sometimes ornamented space between the right or left exterior curve of an arch and an enclosing right angle
2
: the triangular space beneath the string of a stair
Examples of spandrel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ultimately, spandrels remind us that what looks like intention or design can sometimes just be the side effect of other instincts – a pattern that emerges, not a strategy that evolved.
—
Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 7 June 2025
In evolutionary biology, a spandrel is in a way the same – a formation that exists as a byproduct of some other dominant aspect of structure.
—Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 7 June 2025
After Friday’s initial gusty winds subsided, firefighters got a better handle on the blaze, which at one point threatened the iconic open-spandrel Bixby Canyon Bridge.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2022
In a sense, the spandrel is leftover space, a byproduct of building with arches.
—Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Dec. 2021
Also concrete, also with an open-spandrel design, 280 feet high, built in 1932.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2021
The next comeback line to myself was that, after hundreds of millions of years of evolution, our immune system—second in complexity only to the brain—could not have been some biological spandrel, a useless byproduct of the natural selection process.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2020
Everything about Lever House feels open, light, exuberant, with those colorful spandrels of blue-green glass and thin stainless fittings.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020
The detailing, the flatness of the spandrels, the geometry of the vertical mullions in relation to the horizontal paneling.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 7 June 2025
In evolutionary biology, a spandrel is in a way the same – a formation that exists as a byproduct of some other dominant aspect of structure.
—Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 7 June 2025
After Friday’s initial gusty winds subsided, firefighters got a better handle on the blaze, which at one point threatened the iconic open-spandrel Bixby Canyon Bridge.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2022
In a sense, the spandrel is leftover space, a byproduct of building with arches.
—Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Dec. 2021
Also concrete, also with an open-spandrel design, 280 feet high, built in 1932.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2021
The next comeback line to myself was that, after hundreds of millions of years of evolution, our immune system—second in complexity only to the brain—could not have been some biological spandrel, a useless byproduct of the natural selection process.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2020
Everything about Lever House feels open, light, exuberant, with those colorful spandrels of blue-green glass and thin stainless fittings.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020
The detailing, the flatness of the spandrels, the geometry of the vertical mullions in relation to the horizontal paneling.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Spandrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spandrel. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share