vertiginous

adjective

ver·​tig·​i·​nous (ˌ)vər-ˈti-jə-nəs 

1

a

: characterized by or suffering from vertigo or dizziness

b

: inclined to frequent and often pointless change : inconstant

2

: causing or tending to cause dizziness

the vertiginous heights

3

: marked by turning : rotary

the vertiginous motion of the earth

vertiginously adverb

Did you know?

It is generally necessary to avoid crowded rooms and the vertiginous influence of the dance, one 19th-century medical work advised. We're not sure what condition this advice was aimed at, but it may well have been "vertigo," a disordered state characterized by whirling dizziness. "Vertiginous," from the Latin vertiginosus, is the adjective form of "vertigo," which in Latin means a turning or whirling action. Both words descend from the Latin verb vertere, meaning "to turn." ("Vertiginous" and "vertigo" are just two of an almost dizzying array of "vertere" offspring, from "adverse" to "vortex.") The "dizzying" sense of "vertiginous" is often used figuratively, as in "vertiginous medical discoveries may drastically change life in the 21st century."

Synonyms

• aswoon
• dizzy
• giddy
• light-headed
• reeling
• swimmy
• whirling
• woozy

Examples of vertiginous in a Sentence

a 3-D effect that is likely to leave some audience members feeling vertiginous

Recent Examples on the Web

Set to music, the fountains sway and shimmy, shooting high into the night sky, sometimes aflame, in a vertiginous frenzy. —William O'Connor, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024

By our reckoning, future scholars of tennis’s vertiginous rise in prestige—with investment by luxury brands both the cause and the effect—may well cite, as another major catalytic moment, one from a few years earlier. —Nick Scott, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024

Wells is attempting to capture the vertiginous pull of history, perhaps best expressed in Round Quilt (1987), in which a circular pool of various fabrics seems to be swirling down a drain. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024

Following, 10 takeaways from what looks like its biggest edition ever in star wattage, the caliber of Spanish filmmaking, and the number of deals reported by Variety, set in the context of vertiginous change in international independent film and TV landscape. —John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin vertiginosus, from vertigin-, vertigo

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Medical Definition

vertiginous

adjective

ver·​tig·​i·​nous (ˌ)vər-ˈtij-ə-nəs 

: of, relating to, characterized by, or affected with vertigo or dizziness