concentric

adjective

con·​cen·​tric kən-ˈsen-trik 

ˌkän-

1

: having a common center

concentric circles

the concentric layers of the wedding cake

2

: having a common axis : coaxial

concentrically

kən-ˈsen-tri-k(ə-)lē 

ˌkän-

adverb

concentricity

ˌkän-ˌsen-ˈtri-sə-tē 

noun

Examples of concentric in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

A couple of years ago, the tree collapsed, on account of disease, and now, amid birdsong and leaf-whisper, the concentric circles of stones, shifted by roots and overgrown with moss, have become a memorial to the organism that once supported them. —Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 4 July 2025

Rings are accented with vivid enamel or encircled with gemstones in concentric layers. —Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025

The dense central region — a strange melding of concentric bubbles and chaotic dusty structures imaged by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope — can also be spotted shining brightly at the heart of the image. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 June 2025

Large hail forms when strong updrafts in thunderstorms lift water droplets high into freezing layers of the atmosphere, allowing ice to accumulate in concentric layers before falling to the ground, according to AccuWeather. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English consentrik, from Medieval Latin concentricus, from Latin com- + centrum center

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for concentric

• eccentric
• excentric
• afrocentric
• egocentric
• ethnocentric
• eurocentric
• geocentric
• metacentric
• multicentric
• polycentric
• anthropocentric
• heliocentric

Kids Definition

concentric

adjective

con·​cen·​tric kən-ˈsen-trik 

(ˈ)kän-

: having a common center

concentric circles

Medical Definition

concentric

adjective

con·​cen·​tric kən-ˈsen-trik, (ˈ)kän- 

: having a common center

concentric circles

concentrically

-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb