What does "perpendicular" mean?
A line or plane that is perpendicular to another.
Perpendicular
/ˌpɜː.pənˈdɪk.jə.lə(ɹ)/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A line or plane that is perpendicular to another.
- Grammar: perpendicular is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abrupt, air line, airline, axis.
- Useful contrasts: nonperpendicular, oblique, parallel.
- Usage evidence: Let H be the base of the perpendicular drawn from point A to the line BC.
How to use "perpendicular"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "perpendicular" 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 "perpendicular" 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 "perpendicular" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "perpendicular" 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 "perpendicular" is acting as adj, noun, slang 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 "abrupt" 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 "perpendicular", 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 A line or plane that is perpendicular to another.
- 2 an extremely steep face wordnet
- 3 A device such as a plumb line that is used in making or marking a perpendicular line.
- 4 a cord from which a metal weight is suspended pointing directly to the earth's center of gravity; used to determine the vertical from a given point wordnet
- 5 A meal eaten at a tavern bar while standing up. obsolete, slang
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a Gothic style in 14th and 15th century England; characterized by vertical lines and a four-centered (Tudor) arch and fan vaulting wordnet
- 7 a straight line at right angles to another line wordnet
Adjective
- 1 At or forming a right angle (to something).
"In most houses, the walls are perpendicular to the floor."
- 2 Of a style of English Gothic architecture from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, marked by stiff and rectilinear lines, mostly vertical window-tracery, depressed or four-centre arch, fan-tracery vaulting, and panelled walls.
- 3 Exactly upright; extending in a straight line toward the centre of the earth, etc.
- 4 Independent of or irrelevant to each other; orthogonal.
"Hey, I'm not unsabotaging anything! This is completely perpendicular sabotage!"
Adjective
- 1 so steep as to be nearly vertical wordnet
- 2 at right angles to the plane of the horizon or a base line wordnet
- 3 intersecting at or forming right angles wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Let H be the base of the perpendicular drawn from point A to the line BC."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "perpendicular"?
Common synonyms include: abrupt, air line, airline, axis, azimuth circle, beeline.
How do you use "perpendicular" in a sentence?
Let H be the base of the perpendicular drawn from point A to the line BC.
How do you pronounce "perpendicular"?
Pronounced /ˌpɜː.pənˈdɪk.jə.lə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Derived from Middle French perpendiculaire, from Old French perpendiculer, from Latin perpendiculum (“plumb line”).