spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl 

ˈsfer-

1

: having the form of a sphere or of one of its segments

2

: relating to or dealing with a sphere or its properties

spherically

ˈsfir-i-k(ə-)lē 

ˈsfer-

adverb

Did you know?

Something spherical is like a sphere in being round, or more or less round, in three dimensions. Apples and oranges are both spherical, for example, even though they're never perfectly round. A spheroid has a roughly spherical shape; so an asteroid, for instance, is often spheroidal—fairly round, but lumpy.

Synonyms

• global
• globular
• round

Examples of spherical in a Sentence

the planet Earth is not, in fact, perfectly spherical

Recent Examples on the Web

Light: left the source, spread out in a spherical fashion, got reflected off of a large-area mirror, and became focused to a point. —Big Think, 19 June 2024

One possibility is that red blood cells deform under microgravity, similar to how water becomes spherical. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2024

Sphere As the largest spherical structure in the world, the Sphere has reshaped the city’s skyline. —David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2024

Some are almost spherical; others look like giant gray lumpy peanuts. —Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 10 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spherical

• spherical aberration
• spherical angle
• spherical coordinate
• spherical geometry
• spherical polygon
• spherical triangle
• spherical trigonometry

Kids Definition

spherical

adjective

spher·​i·​cal ˈsfir-i-kəl 

ˈsfer-

: relating to or having the form of a sphere or part of a sphere

spherically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb