Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

spiral

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of spiral

  1. to follow a circular or spiral course a narrow road spiraling up the mountain to the summit Synonyms coil, corkscrew, curl, entwine, wind, twine, twistRelated Words arc, arch, bend, crook, curve, hook, sweep, swerve, turn, veer, wheel; swirl, whirl; circle, encircle, loop; enlace, interlace, intertwine, lace; bow, bulge; meander, weave, zigzagNear Antonyms straighten

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

image2136071978
Tech-y Terms Are Older Than You Think
alt-597b460515453
Trending: Trump: Let Obamacare 'Implode'
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-597a99e699d07
July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

spiral

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of spiral

  1. turning around an axis like the thread of a screw a spiral staircase takes visitors up into the Statue of Liberty Synonyms coiling, corkscrew, helical, involute, screwlike, winding Related Words circular; curling, curving, swirly, twisting Near Antonyms lineal, linear, right, straight

Learn More about spiral

  1. Dictionary: Definition of spiral Medical Dictionary: Definition of spiral Spanish Central: Translation of spiral Nglish: Translation of spiral for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spiral for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spiral

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up spiral? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

melee

play

a confused struggle

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. implode How does implode differ from explode?

  2. ballistic What makes a missile ballistic?

  3. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  4. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  5. scaramouch A new White House communications director

SEE ALL

BROWSE THESAURUS

spiral

Test Your Vocabulary

July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

  • alt-597a99e699d07
  • Which is a synonym of gauche?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-597a2ef226ea8
Are You Craving 'Ice Tea' or 'Iced Tea'?

When tea is cold and refreshing, is it 'ice tea' or 'iced tea'?

image2136071978
9 Surprising Word Histories of Computer Terms

People have been blogging since the 18th century.

alt-597a00ef4b9d7
'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'

A pattern emerges.

alt-5978b44edfb13
Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'

The ultimate guide to using penultimate.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

alt-597a99e699d07
July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Test your knowledge.

Take the quiz
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Dictionary Devil
Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

Play the game