bulbous

adjective

bul·​bous ˈbəl-bəs 

1

: having a bulb : growing from or bearing bulbs

2

: resembling a bulb especially in roundness

a bulbous nose

bulbously adverb

Examples of bulbous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This further makes the case for new H&M home finds like the Bubbly Stoneware Bowl, whose bulbous nature will play off the linearity of your bookshelves and end tables exceptionally well. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2025

The Xenomorph is a person inside a Xenomorph suit with its gruesome bulbous head and alien drool. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2025

One massive rehab, in the early 1880s under Chester Alan Arthur, added bulbous Gilded Age gaslight chandeliers that dominated the state rooms. —Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Aug. 2025

One local piazza contains marble statues of a giant wine bottle opener, a bulbous stick-figure robot, a Cadillac that looks 3D printed. —Meara Sharma, The Dial, 22 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bulbous

adjective

bulb·​ous

ˈbəl-bəs

1

: having a bulb : growing from or bearing bulbs

2

: resembling a bulb in being rounded or swollen

a bulbous nose

Medical Definition

bulbous

adjective

bul·​bous ˈbəl-bəs 

: resembling a bulb especially in roundness or the gross enlargement of a part

the bulbous expansion at the base of a hair