PERPENDICULAR Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'perpendicular' differ from other similar words?

The words plumb and vertical are common synonyms of perpendicular . While all three words mean "being at right angles to a base line," 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

Q: When is 'plumb' a more appropriate choice than 'perpendicular'?

While in some cases nearly identical to perpendicular , plumb stresses an exact verticality determined (as with a plumb line) by earth's gravity. // make sure that the wall is plumb

Q: When is it sensible to use 'vertical' instead of 'perpendicular'?

While the synonyms vertical and perpendicular are close in meaning, vertical suggests a line or direction rising straight upward toward a zenith. // the side of the cliff is almost vertical

perpendicular

adjective

ˌpər-pən-ˈdi-kyə-lər

Definition of perpendicular next

as in vertical

rising straight up river rafters staring awestruck at the canyon's nearly perpendicular cliffs

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How does the adjective perpendicular differ from other similar words?

The words plumb and vertical are common synonyms of perpendicular. While all three words mean "being at right angles to a base line," 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 plumb a more appropriate choice than perpendicular?

While in some cases nearly identical to perpendicular, plumb stresses an exact verticality determined (as with a plumb line) by earth's gravity.

make sure that the wall is plumb

When is it sensible to use vertical instead of perpendicular?

While the synonyms vertical and perpendicular are close in meaning, vertical suggests a line or direction rising straight upward toward a zenith.

the side of the cliff is almost vertical

Examples 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 perpendicular Unlike the atmospheric river that struck the East Coast earlier in the week, this system brings rain in from the Pacific almost perpendicular to the coast. —

Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024 At the equinoxes, Earth’s axis is tilted perpendicular to the sun-Earth line, creating conditions favorable for magnetic reconnection between the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field. —

Jamie Carter, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 By 2020, researchers examining seismic images had seen signs that the upper mantle and crust along this mountain belt are thinning—a sign of potential rifting—in a direction nearly perpendicular to the faults in Okavango. —

Bypaul Voosen, science.org, 7 Nov. 2024 Whereas Irwin’s geometric interventions, Zewde read in the late artist’s writings, were intended to echo the passage of trains parallel to the Hudson, her curvaceous landforms will bend the axis perpendicular to the water. —

Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for perpendicular

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perpendicular

Adjective

Broad stainless panels, bolted one to the next and sealed, formed their vertical sides.

John McPhee, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Your core is an interconnected group of muscles that includes all your abs — not just your rectus abdominis, the long vertical muscle that can appear as a visible six-pack in people with low body fat.

Dana Santas, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025