What does "oblong" mean?
Something with an oblong shape.
Oblong
/ˈɒblɒŋ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something with an oblong shape.
- Grammar: oblong is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: cube-shaped, cubed, cubic, cubical.
- Useful contrasts: circular, round.
- Usage evidence: I lost this oblong Japanese brazier in an earthquake.
How to use "oblong"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "oblong" 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 "oblong" 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 "oblong" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "oblong" 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 "oblong" 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 "cube-shaped" 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 "oblong", 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 Something with an oblong shape.
- 2 a plane figure that deviates from a square or circle due to elongation wordnet
- 3 A rectangle with length and width that are different.
"Jessamy looked round her in a puzzled way, but there was nothing to see but the pale oblong of what looked like a star-pierced sky behind the bars of the nursery window."
- 4 An ellipse with minor and major axes that are different.
Verb
- 1 To extend so as to form an oblong shape.
"[…]; by John Denmans hom lot on the north sid the front by a salt crek the reare to the comon which hom lot with all the upland oblonging to it conteining to about fourtie acers more or lese with about one acer & half of salt medo liing before the said house[…]"
- 2 To give an oblong shape to.
"A. Why, by dropping them off of cars or dropping them off of trucks or some way it would oblong them ."
Adjective
- 1 Having a length and width that are different; not square or circular.
"The room was quite dark. The oblong window showed the night sky pricked here and there with stars."
- 2 Roughly rectangular or elliptical.
"Plant upright spreading hardy, vigorous and productive; berry, oblong, round, medium size, sweet but rather ideipid."
- 3 Having the horizontal axis of a page longer than the vertical; In landscape orientation.
"Of the smaller oblong formats, none is specifically designated for music."
Adjective
- 1 deviating from a square or circle or sphere by being elongated in one direction wordnet
- 2 (of a leaf shape) having a somewhat elongated form with approximately parallel sides wordnet
Example
"I lost this oblong Japanese brazier in an earthquake."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "oblong"?
Common synonyms include: cube-shaped, cubed, cubic, cubical, cubiform, cuboid.
How do you use "oblong" in a sentence?
I lost this oblong Japanese brazier in an earthquake.
How do you pronounce "oblong"?
Pronounced /ˈɒblɒŋ/.
Etymology
From Middle English oblong, oblonge, borrowed from Latin oblongus.