right angle

noun

1. the angle formed by two radii of a circle that are drawn to the extremities of an arc equal to one quarter of the circle; the angle formed by two perpendicular lines that intersect; an angle of 90°.

right angle

noun

1. the angle between two radii of a circle that cut off on the circumference an arc equal in length to one quarter of the circumference; an angle of 90° or π/2 radians
2. at right angles
   perpendicular or perpendicularly

right angle

/ rīt /

1. An angle having a measure of 90°.

right angle

1. An angle measuring ninety degrees , formed by the intersection of two perpendicular lines. ( Compare acute angle and obtuse angle .)

Derived Forms

• ˈright-ˌangled, adjective

Other Words From

• right-angled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of right angle¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Ruble perfected her movements in sync with the music and the other dancers, her head tilted at just the right angle, her arabesque hitting the correct line, her discipline and note-taking clearly paying off.

From Los Angeles Times

They were flat like paintings but sculptural in their defiance of right angles.

From New York Times

He spent hours talking and sharing stories, and they tolerated his fussiness, looking for just the right angle, just the right light.

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s become this idea on screen that a space always has to feel like the inside of an Apple store, where everything is brushed concrete and steel and glass and right angles,” Marling says.

From Los Angeles Times

On a promontory above Puget Sound, a Douglas fir with arms bent at right angles stands above a quiet cove, where shellfish would have been gathered, long before this place was settled by newcomers.

From Seattle Times