spherical

adjective

ˈsfir-i-kəl How to pronounce spherical (audio)
Definition of sphericalnext
as in circular
having every part of the surface the same distance from the center the planet Earth is not, in fact, perfectly spherical

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spherical For example, Galileo observed that the moon was not perfectly spherical in 1610, allowing for a more precise prediction of where the natural satellite’s shadow will fall during an eclipse. — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 That’s because Sprenger got to use very special equipment — the Todd-AO 65mm spherical lenses, which haven’t been used since productions like Oklahoma! — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 Eos, which dominated the 2010s with brightly colored spherical balms, entered the gloss-balm hybrid space last month with Dewy Lip Shine. — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026 To understand why, picture atoms and molecules as spherical balls. — Robin MacAluso, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spherical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spherical
  1. circular
  2. cylindrical
  3. curved
  4. globular
  5. round
Adjective
  • There are two lounge chairs inside and two more on the private deck, with a heated infinity pool and a circular daybed, tucked beneath the awning for shade.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The brand said the jacket is the first product to be certified by Testex Circularity, a standard Arc’teryx co-piloted as part of its work in circular product standards.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of circular
Adjective
  • These structures were cylindrical towers of concrete and steel.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • China’s high-tech enterprise CBAK Energy Technology is scaling production of its large cylindrical lithium-ion batteries at its Nanjing Phase II facility, with plans to eventually raise annual capacity from 3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to 18 GWh.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of cylindrical
Adjective
  • Emirates’ massive suite, which is perched over the center of Ashe, is being remodeled this year to emulate the spacious lounges and curved bar on its double-decker Airbus 380 planes.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The darkening will be incredibly subtle compared to that of a partial lunar eclipse, where the moon passes into Earth's intense inner shadow — the umbra — revealing our planet's curved silhouette on the lunar surface.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of curved
Adjective
  • The Hubble Space Telescope captured this twinkling image of NGC 6723, or the Chandelier Cluster, a globular star cluster located 27,000 light-years away in our Milky Way galaxy.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The pieces are abstract but appear to show featureless human figures sitting atop globular, cloud-like shapes that float in the air.
    — Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Definition of globular
Adjective
  • The artful styling revealed a peek of her round black strapless bra.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Specifically in dress, rounder toes are trending; a refreshing alternative to the almond shape that has dominated for the past few seasons.
    — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of round

Browse Nearby Words

spheres
spherical
sphering
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spherical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spherical. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All