What does "convex" mean?
Any convex body or surface.
Convex
/ˈkɒn.vɛks/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any convex body or surface.
- Grammar: convex is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bulging, arched, arciform, arclike.
- Useful contrasts: concave, biconcave, concave function.
- Usage evidence: Any geometric programming problem can be transformed into a convex one.
How to use "convex"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "convex" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "convex" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "convex" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "convex" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "convex" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bulging" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "convex", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any convex body or surface.
"Half heaven's convex glitters with the flame."
- 2 A playing card made convex for use in cheating.
- 3 A small convex mirror used to cheat by observing other players' cards.
"Of all the devices for defrauding at poker, the “shiner,” or “convex” […] Modern convexes are also considerably larger than those of former days."
Verb
- 1 To form a convex curve or surface; to become convex. intransitive
"In like manner the north pier will convex seaward, extending across the bay to the extent of 1000 feet from low water, terminating in about eight fathoms, leaving a clear entrance of 500 feet between the pier heads, the depth of the entrance being from seven to eight fathoms."
- 2 To cause to form a convex curve or surface; to make convex. transitive
"The back edge of the saw being under the lip of the cleat, use the anvil for a fulcrum and press down on the edge of the saw opposite, which will convex the plate, as the springing up concaved it, and the action of the fast and loose will be the reverse; that is, the fast will go down and the loose come up."
- 3 To circulate or cause to circulate in a curved path; to cause or exhibit convection. ambitransitive
"The crystal/melt interface thus convexes into the melt; however, the convexity of the interface ( Figure 53 ) is not as strong as it is when the crucible does not rotate (Figure 52)."
Adjective
- 1 Curved or bowed outward like the outside of a bowl, circle, or sphere.
"[D]rops of water naturally form themselves into figures with a convex surface; […]"
- 2 having an epigraph that is a convex set. not-comparable
- 3 having no internal angles greater than 180 degrees. not-comparable
- 4 arranged such that for any two points in the set, a straight line between the two points is contained within the set. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 curving or bulging outward wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Any geometric programming problem can be transformed into a convex one."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "convex"?
Common synonyms include: bulging, arched, arciform, arclike, arcual, balanced tastes.
How do you use "convex" in a sentence?
Any geometric programming problem can be transformed into a convex one.
How do you pronounce "convex"?
Pronounced /ˈkɒn.vɛks/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French convexe, from Latin convexus (“arched”).