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Showing results for perpendicular.
Definitions

perpendicular

[pur-puhn-dik-yuh-ler] / ˌpɜr pənˈdɪk yə lər /
ADJECTIVE
meeting at right angles
Synonyms
STRONGEST


ADJECTIVE
straight up and down; standing up
Synonyms
Antonyms
ADJECTIVE
having a sharp pitch or slope
Synonyms
STRONGEST
STRONG


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Strong interactions between the layers lead to very different transmission behaviors for left- and right-circularly polarized light under "normal incidence," or polarized light that hits perpendicular to the surface.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

“This isn’t just a missing person case,” said Travis Harrison, a producer at NewsNation, which has pulled together a hovel of satellites and folding chairs in the prime real estate perpendicular to Guthrie’s address.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

The front door is easily visible from the road—but likely out of eye or camera sight from even the neighbors up the hill on perpendicular Cerrada Chica.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

But, on the day of an equinox, the tilt of Earth's axis is perpendicular to the Sun's rays, producing a nearly equal amount of day and night all over the world.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2024

I had to draw a picture for Dorothy just to get her to understand that two lines were parallel if they were both perpendicular to a third line.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam




Vocabulary lists containing perpendicular