pendulum

noun

pen·​du·​lum ˈpen-jə-ləm 

ˈpen-dyə-,

-də-

1

: a body suspended from a fixed point so as to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity and commonly used to regulate movements (as of clockwork)

2

: something (such as a state of affairs) that alternates between opposites

doesn't take much to swing the pendulum of opinion the other way

Examples of pendulum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So there’s a lot of us that are hoping for the pendulum to swing the other way. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2025

Sanders was in the pole position a month ago (-140), but the pendulum has now swung in Ward’s direction. —Mark Ross, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025

Like theirs, our era is not so much like a pendulum swinging in long arcs but a seesaw tipping back and forth. —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025

The pendulum swung the other way against Texas in the semifinal, when the Longhorns found a way to shut down Smith through double coverage, limiting him to just one catch for three yards. —Andrew Greif, NBC News, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, neuter of pendulus

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pendulum

• Foucault pendulum

Kids Definition

pendulum

noun

pen·​du·​lum ˈpen-jə-ləm 

: a body hung from a fixed point so as to swing freely back and forth under the action of gravity

Etymology

from scientific Latin pendulum "something suspended so as to swing freely," from Latin pendulus "suspended," from pendēre "to hang" — related to depend, perpendicular