spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl How to pronounce spherical (audio)
ˈsfer-
Synonyms of sphericalnext
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.
Images provided by the Department of Fish and Wildlife show the raptor sipping from what appears to be a BuzzBallz ready-to-drink cocktail in its green, spherical container. Dennis Romero, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026 The meaning of consciousness is immersion in multitudinous flowing tastes, olfactory rumors, vibrations, racing to understand before the ocean washes them away, these sensations like spherical and syncopated waves crashing against her hundred tentacles. Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026 Rather than looking for the galaxy directly, the research team searched for tight groupings of globular clusters, dense spherical groups of stars that orbit galaxies and can serve as signposts for hidden galaxies nearby. Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 23 Feb. 2026 Longtime readers may remember a proposal to recreate the experience of standing on the the Moon inside a giant spherical structure here on Earth. New Atlas, 18 Feb. 2026 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

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Cite this Entry

“Spherical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spherical. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.

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

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