vertical

[ vur-ti-kuhl ]

adjective

1. being in a position or direction perpendicular to the plane of the horizon; upright; plumb.

   Antonyms: horizontal

2. of, relating to, or situated at the vertex.
3. of or relating to the cranial vertex.
4. Botany.
   1. (of a leaf ) having the blade in a perpendicular plane, so that neither of the surfaces can be called upper or lower.
   2. being in the same direction as the axis; lengthwise.
5. of, constituting, or resulting in vertical combination.
6. of or relating to a product or service from initial planning to sale.
7. of, relating to, or noting a stratified society, nation, etc.

noun

1. something vertical, as a line or plane.
2. a vertical or upright position.
3. a vertical structural member in a truss.

vertical

/ ˌvɜːtɪˈkælɪtɪ; ˈvɜːtɪkəl /

adjective

1. at right angles to the horizon; perpendicular; upright Compare horizontal

   a vertical wall

2. extending in a perpendicular direction
3. at or in the vertex or zenith; directly overhead
4. economics of or relating to associated or consecutive, though not identical, stages of industrial activity

   vertical amalgamation

   vertical integration

5. of or relating to the vertex
6. anatomy of, relating to, or situated at the top of the head (vertex)

noun

1. a vertical plane, position, or line
2. a vertical post, pillar, or other structural member

Derived Forms

• ˈvertically, adverb
• verticality, noun

Other Words From

• verti·cali·ty verti·cal·ness verti·cal·ism noun
• verti·cal·ly adverb
• non·verti·cal adjective
• non·verti·cal·ly adverb
• non·verti·cal·ness noun
• nonver·ti·cali·ty noun
• sub·verti·cal adjective
• sub·verti·cal·ly adverb
• sub·verti·cal·ness noun
• un·verti·cal adjective
• un·verti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertical¹

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin verticālis, equivalent to vertic- (stem of vertex ) vertex + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertical¹

C16: from Late Latin verticālis, from Latin vertex

Synonym Study

See upright.

Example Sentences

Two police assigned to the apartment on a detail were doing a “vertical patrol” up the stairs when the door opened.

From The Daily Beast

They structured themselves not in vertical hierarchies but in networks, each member responding to conditions on the ground.

From The Daily Beast

Abramson is also open, “in theory,” to the idea of interviewing high-profile figures for the new vertical.

From The Daily Beast

There was one very large and easily identifiable piece of debris floating, the vertical stabilizer.

From The Daily Beast

The hybrid aircraft have a vertical takeoff and landing capability.

From The Daily Beast

This takes at first the crude device of a couple of vertical lines attached to the head (see Fig. 4).

From Project Gutenberg

It is of the vertical kind, and stands on a shallow square tank, which forms the hot well.

From Project Gutenberg

However, in a month, when everything was about five degrees off the vertical, notice began to be taken.

From Project Gutenberg

He can not make a record of what he sees as long as the element of horizontal and vertical distance is not clearly in mind.

From Project Gutenberg

But the singular fact exists that in the human trunk the valves occur in the horizontal and are absent from the vertical veins.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• perpendicular
• steep