spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl How to pronounce spherical (audio)
ˈsfer-
1
: having the form of a sphere or of one of its segments
2
: relating to or dealing with a sphere or its properties
spherically adverb

Did you know?

Something spherical is like a sphere in being round, or more or less round, in three dimensions. Apples and oranges are both spherical, for example, even though they're never perfectly round. A spheroid has a roughly spherical shape; so an asteroid, for instance, is often spheroidal—fairly round, but lumpy.

Examples of spherical in a Sentence

the planet Earth is not, in fact, perfectly spherical
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Those lucky/sitting ducks were at the center of a manifold creative pressure, like the core of a planet pulled spherical by gravity. Kate Colby october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025 The prototypes were spherical wire frames containing sails; in the wind tunnel, they were put through their paces on different surfaces, including rough and smooth terrain, sand, pebbles and boulder fields. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025 Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, who previously teamed up to play two of Hollywood's most beloved time travelers, are now trapped in a spherical, surrealist limbo where nothing happens and everything is considered. Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025 The piece, decorated with spherical lapis lazuli beads, vanished from a safe in a conservation laboratory on September 9. CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spherical

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spherical was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Spherical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spherical. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

spherical

adjective
spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl How to pronounce spherical (audio)
ˈsfer-
: relating to or having the form of a sphere or part of a sphere
spherically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on spherical

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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