bulbous

adjective

bul·​bous ˈbəl-bəs 

1

: having a bulb : growing from or bearing bulbs

2

: resembling a bulb especially in roundness

a bulbous nose

bulbously adverb

Examples of bulbous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Choose a fairly tall and tulip-shaped – bulbous at the bottom glass to give the bubbles enough room to develop but which tapers at the top to fully concentrate the aromas. —Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

Among the 100 outfits on display are some bombastic, kite-like contraptions, bulbous pileups of fabric donuts, and a Chewbacca-esque cape-cum-sarcophogus. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 25 June 2025

One of the star events is ice archery, where competitors draw arrows blunted with bulbous heads and fire them roughly 150-feet across a frozen pitch of ice. —Matt Dutile, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2025

These are bulbous pillows of lava that form enormous mounds that can overwhelm everything around them. —Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 17 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bulbous

adjective

bulb·​ous

ˈbəl-bəs

1

: having a bulb : growing from or bearing bulbs

2

: resembling a bulb in being rounded or swollen

a bulbous nose

Medical Definition

bulbous

adjective

bul·​bous ˈbəl-bəs 

: resembling a bulb especially in roundness or the gross enlargement of a part

the bulbous expansion at the base of a hair