spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl 

ˈsfer-

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

ˈsfir-i-k(ə-)lē 

ˈsfer-

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.

Synonyms

• global
• globular
• round

Examples of spherical in a Sentence

the planet Earth is not, in fact, perfectly spherical

Recent Examples on the Web

And scientists have plenty of evidence to prove space exists and that the Earth is spherical, not flat. —Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024

And Mama Kelce is larger than life, looming over the skyline on the dome of the Sphere arena, the world’s largest spherical structure lit by more than a million LED lights. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024

Ursa is a new spherical doubleshot keycap profile for Topre that is available for group buy until May 15th. —Nathan Edwards, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024

These calculations are so complex that physicists often revert to simple solutions that make the equations involved more manageable, such as assuming spherical symmetry. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

The watch includes either complications: a perpetual calendar, a spherical moonphase indication, a retrograde age of the Moon, leap years, an ultra-light tourbillon, jumping seconds, a power reserve indicator, as well as the double display of hours and minute. —Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024

Daikon: These large radishes can be spherical, oblong, or cylindrical and have white, pink, or purple flesh. —Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 13 Apr. 2024

An abundance of evidence demonstrates the Earth is spherical in shape – including images of the planet taken from outer space. —Kim Breen, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024

Two of them had a cylindrical shape while the third was spherical. —Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spherical

• spherical aberration
• spherical angle
• spherical coordinate
• spherical geometry
• spherical polygon
• spherical triangle
• spherical trigonometry

Kids Definition

spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl 

ˈsfer-

: relating to or having the form of a sphere or part of a sphere

spherically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb