pendulous

adjective

pen·​du·​lous ˈpen-jə-ləs 

ˈpen-dyə-,

-də-

1

archaic : poised without visible support

2

a

: suspended so as to swing freely

branches hung with pendulous vines

b

: inclined or hanging downward

pendulous jowls

3

: marked by vacillation, indecision, or uncertainty

pendulousness noun

Synonyms

• bowed
• bowing
• declined
• declining
• descendant
• descendent
• descending
• drooping
• droopy
• hanging
• hung
• inclining
• nodding
• sagging
• stooping
• weeping

Examples of pendulous in a Sentence

a cow with a pendulous udder

a pendulous crystal chandelier dominated the ballroom

Recent Examples on the Web

Mature males grow long, glorious, pendulous snoods. —Alice Jones Webb, Outdoor Life, 21 Mar. 2025

Wisteria What could be more Southern than purple, pendulous wisteria blooms hanging from a covered porch? —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025

Johnson continued to play the new-age bohemian with a pendulous amulet swinging from her neck. —Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2024

Now my face was enormous, my mouth elongated, my nostrils gaping, and my lips pendulous. —Hazlitt, 26 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin pendulus, from pendēre to hang

First Known Use

circa 1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pendulous

adjective

pen·​du·​lous ˈpen-jə-ləs 

1

: hanging so as to swing freely

2

: hanging downward

pendulously adverb

Medical Definition

pendulous

adjective

pen·​du·​lous -ləs 

: inclined or hanging downward