vertiginous

adjective

ver·​tig·​i·​nous (ˌ)vər-ˈti-jə-nəs 

1

a

: characterized by or suffering from vertigo or dizziness

b

: inclined to frequent and often pointless change : inconstant

2

: causing or tending to cause dizziness

the vertiginous heights

3

: marked by turning : rotary

the vertiginous motion of the earth

vertiginously adverb

Did you know?

It is generally necessary to avoid crowded rooms and the vertiginous influence of the dance, one 19th-century medical work advised. We're not sure what condition this advice was aimed at, but it may well have been "vertigo," a disordered state characterized by whirling dizziness. "Vertiginous," from the Latin vertiginosus, is the adjective form of "vertigo," which in Latin means a turning or whirling action. Both words descend from the Latin verb vertere, meaning "to turn." ("Vertiginous" and "vertigo" are just two of an almost dizzying array of "vertere" offspring, from "adverse" to "vortex.") The "dizzying" sense of "vertiginous" is often used figuratively, as in "vertiginous medical discoveries may drastically change life in the 21st century."

Synonyms of vertiginous

• giddy
• dizzy
• whirling
• woozy

Examples of vertiginous in a Sentence

a 3-D effect that is likely to leave some audience members feeling vertiginous

Recent Examples on the Web

Bonhams occupies what’s defined as the mid-range market, mostly offering lots priced between $50,000 to $1 million, while the top three — Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips — court sellers and buyers at the vertiginous top end. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026

But Jávea, set about 25 miles north of the Costa Blanca, where the coastline’s long, sandy beaches give way to craggy bays and vertiginous cliffs, did it differently. —Zoë Dare Hall, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Elsewhere, narrow paths run past juniper trees and sheer canyon edges where the land drops away in sudden, vertiginous folds. —Anna Zacharias, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Jan. 2026

The Anti-Atlas Mountains, which run to the southeast of the High Atlas, have quite a different visual character and are less vertiginous. —Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin vertiginosus, from vertigin-, vertigo

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Medical Definition

vertiginous

adjective

ver·​tig·​i·​nous (ˌ)vər-ˈtij-ə-nəs 

: of, relating to, characterized by, or affected with vertigo or dizziness