Rectangular Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms rectangular American [rek-tang-gyuh-ler] / rɛkˈtæŋ gyə lər /

adjective

1. shaped like a rectangle.

2. having the base or section in the form of a rectangle.

   a rectangular pyramid.

3. having one or more right angles.

4. forming a right angle.

rectangular British / rɛkˈtæŋɡjʊlə /

adjective

1. shaped like a rectangle

2. having or relating to right angles

3. mutually perpendicular

   rectangular coordinates

4. having a base or section shaped like a rectangle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• nonrectangular adjective
• nonrectangularity noun
• nonrectangularly adverb
• rectangularity noun
• rectangularly adverb
• rectangularness noun
• subrectangular adjective
• unrectangular adjective
• unrectangularly adverb

Etymology

Origin of rectangular

1615–25; < Medieval Latin rēctangul ( um ) rectangle + -ar 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s a bunch of rectangular boxes stacked on top of each other.

From The Wall Street Journal

Agility’s Digit robot, with its rectangular eyes and pincers for hands, looks a little more like science fiction and a little less like a human replacement.

From Barron's

His factory purchases raw seaweed, grills it with oil and salt, and cuts it into the familiar rectangular sheets sold in stores.

From BBC

And there it is—a rectangular package wrapped in brown paper and twine.

From Literature

He found her in her office, sitting on a rectangular mat with her legs folded and her hands resting gently on her knees.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.