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

Venues may also offer opportunities to purchase limited-edition merchandise or have in-suite ice machines—or, in the case of the Vegas Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena, an entire ice room, churning out spherical cubes and clear ice for cocktails. —Brett Knight, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024

The series of insights began in 1972, when Hawking showed (opens a new tab) that a black hole’s size — specifically its spherical surface area — always increases in proportion to the mass of whatever falls into it. —Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024

The painting of irises above the fireplace is by Reiss, and the hanging spherical light fixture is a Moooi knockoff. —Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Nov. 2024

The spherical shell known as the Oort Cloud is, for all practical purposes, invisible. —James Wray, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 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