Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective vertical differ from other similar words?

The words perpendicular and plumb are common synonyms of vertical. While all three words mean "being at right angles to a base line," vertical suggests a line or direction rising straight upward toward a zenith.

the side of the cliff is almost vertical

When could perpendicular be used to replace vertical?

The words perpendicular and vertical are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, perpendicular may stress the straightness of a line making a right angle with any other line, not necessarily a horizontal one.

the parallel bars are perpendicular to the support posts

When is it sensible to use plumb instead of vertical?

While the synonyms plumb and vertical are close in meaning, plumb stresses an exact verticality determined (as with a plumb line) by earth's gravity.

make sure that the wall is plumb

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of vertical For small-space bedroom design in particular, bunk beds, lofted bed frames, and vertical bookshelves are game changers. Shoko Wanger, Architectural Digest, 23 July 2025 All of that planting, in parks, vertical gardens, and walkways, helped cool and improve the air quality of the city. Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2025 The underground world gimmick provides a cool excuse to make stages very vertical. PC Magazine, 16 July 2025 If your small space is flanked by strong vertical fences or walls, the easiest solution is to cover the surface with plants. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for vertical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertical
Adjective
  • Understudy Bella Brown reportedly stepped in for Zegler for Act 2 and received a standing ovation that lasted nearly five minutes.
    Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2025
  • Audiences responded by giving Brown a standing ovation that lasted nearly five minutes.
    Dave Quinn, People.com, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • But with the boat between 50 and 100 yards from the craggy shore near Rubicon Point, its engine failed, causing the vessel to turn broadside — perpendicular — to the oncoming waves, the NTSB said.
    Ethan Wolin Updated July 23, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2025
  • In April, the brand opened a 1,100-square-foot flagship on Rue François 1er, a perpendicular to luxury shopping epicenter Avenue Montaigne.
    Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • The name of Fort Benning, for example, was suggested by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, an organization that sought to rewrite history textbooks and erect monuments that honored the Confederacy and downplayed slavery's centrality to the Civil War.
    Davis Winkie, USA Today, 19 July 2025
  • Construction crews pour concrete and erect steel faster every year, yet one stubborn line item keeps projects over budget: paperwork.
    Shuangling Yin, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Adjective
  • Siberian iris is a workable substitute for upright ornamental grasses.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2025
  • The rocket’s bottom portion, containing the main engines, returns to Earth upright, intact and ready to be deployed for other missions.
    Selam Gebrekidan, New York Times, 24 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vertical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertical. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on vertical

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