diametrical

[ dahy-uh-me-tri-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or along a diameter.
2. in direct opposition; being at opposite extremes; complete:

   diametrical opposites; a diametrical difference.

Other Words From

• di·a·met·ri·cal·ly adverb
• un·di·a·met·ric adjective
• un·di·a·met·ri·cal adjective
• un·di·a·met·ri·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of diametrical¹

1545–55; < Greek diametrik ( ós ) ( diámetr ( os ) diameter + -ikos -ic ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Despite diametrical differences in ideologies, in values, in ideals and systems, programs for extermination are in place at a magnitude dwarfing what occurred during the first half of the 1940s.

From Salon

The diametrical pair overtook Holmes in the primary.

From Seattle Times

But van Eyck’s “Crucifixion” and “Last Judgment” panels, on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, take this diametrical effect to an astonishing level of visual intensity.

From Washington Post

California’s new regulations put the state squarely at the forefront of U.S. climate policy, in diametrical opposition to the Trump administration, which has prioritized rolling back a slew of environmental regulations.

From New York Times

Mr. Trump’s vituperative performance on Thursday was the diametrical opposite of how President Bill Clinton responded to his own acquittal after a Senate impeachment trial in 1999.

From New York Times