spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl 

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

ˈsfir-i-k(ə-)lē 

ˈsfer-

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.

Synonyms

• global
• globular
• round

Examples of spherical in a Sentence

the planet Earth is not, in fact, perfectly spherical

Recent Examples on the Web

There, eggs develop into a spherical embryo with six hooks that pierce through the intestinal wall to migrate to the animal's organs, primarily the liver. —ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2025

Using a biofilm of Vibrio cholerae bacteria, Yunker’s team described the shape of the emerging biofilm as a spherical cap that resembles a contact lens. —Carrie Arnold, Quanta Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025

Such a catastrophic event can dump a lot of energy into the gas around the galaxies, again creating an expanding wind that can take on a roughly spherical shape. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025

The movie will have its spherical premiere on Aug. 28. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spherical

• spherical aberration
• spherical angle
• spherical coordinate
• spherical geometry
• spherical polygon
• spherical triangle
• spherical trigonometry

Rhymes for spherical

• clerical
• anticlerical
• hemispherical
• chimerical
• hysterical
• numerical

Kids Definition

spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl 

ˈsfer-

: relating to or having the form of a sphere or part of a sphere

spherically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb