What does "zigzag" mean?
A line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
Zigzag
/ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
- Grammar: zigzag is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aberrancy, aberrant, aberration, aberrative.
- Useful contrasts: consistent, linear, linear path.
- Usage evidence: The UFO, with a zigzag movement you couldn't think of as being a plane, flew off into the mountains in the east.
How to use "zigzag"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "zigzag" 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 "zigzag" 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 "zigzag" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "zigzag" 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 "zigzag" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, 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 "aberrancy" 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 "zigzag", 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 path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
"She had just succeeded in curving it down into a graceful zigzag, and was going to dive in among the leaves, which she found to be nothing but the tops of the trees under which she had been wandering, when a sharp hiss made her draw back in a hurry: […]."
- 2 an angular shape characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions wordnet
- 3 One of these sharp turns.
Verb
- 1 To move or to twist in a zigzag manner.
"[…] she saw them as we see the throngs which cover the canvases of Sallaert, Van Alsloot, and others of that school—vast masses of beings, jostling, zigzagging, and processioning in definite directions, but whose features are indistinguishable by the very comprehensiveness of the view."
- 2 travel along a zigzag path wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Moving in, or having a zigzag. not-comparable
"The entrance to this ancient place of devotion was under a very low round arch, ornamented by several courses of that zig-zag moulding, resembling shark's teeth, which appears so often in the more ancient Saxon churches."
- 2 Drunk. US, World-War-I, not-comparable, slang
Adjective
- 1 having short sharp turns or angles wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a zigzag manner or pattern.
Adverb
- 1 in a zigzag course or on a zigzag path wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A small town in Oregon.
Antonyms
Example
"The UFO, with a zigzag movement you couldn't think of as being a plane, flew off into the mountains in the east."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "zigzag"?
Common synonyms include: aberrancy, aberrant, aberration, aberrative, akimbo, alternate.
How do you use "zigzag" in a sentence?
The UFO, with a zigzag movement you couldn't think of as being a plane, flew off into the mountains in the east.
How do you pronounce "zigzag"?
Pronounced /ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Attested from 1712. Borrowed from French zigzag (attested from 1662), possibly from a Germanic source via Walloon ziczac (although German Zickzack is attested only from 1703). Also, possibly from the shape of the letter Z, which appears twice in the word. Sense “drunk” from the zigzag movements of a drunk person.
Etymology 2
Named after the nearby Zigzag River.