Shapes: English Vocabulary List

(geometry) a lack of symmetry or equivalence in shape or size between the two sides or parts of something

"The design's asymmetry made it interesting."

"The architect deliberately introduced asymmetry into the building's design for a unique aesthetic."

not having identical parts facing each other or around an axis

"The design is asymmetric."

"The design is asymmetric with one side different from the other which makes it look modern and artistic."

having identical parts facing each other or around an axis

"The pattern is symmetric."

"The pattern is symmetric so the left side is a perfect mirror image of the right side."

connected with the branch of mathematics that deals with the relationships between lines, angles and surfaces

"The tiles have a geometric pattern."

"The tiles have a geometric pattern with triangles squares and hexagons arranged in a repeating sequence."

the total length of the external boundary of something

"The guards walked along the perimeter of the army base."

"A perimeter is the continuous boundary line enclosing a defined area"

any half of a circle

"The table was a semicircle."

"The architect designed a beautiful garden path in the shape of a semicircle around the fountain."

(geometry) a solid or hollow shape with two circular bases at each end and straight parallel sides

"A cylinder has two bases."

"The engineer designed a hollow cylinder with a specific radius and height for the structural component."

shaped like a triangle, with three sides and three angles

"The sign is triangular."

"The triangular piece of cake was the largest slice so he happily took it before anyone else could grab it."

having a shape that winds around a central point or axis

"The shell is spiral."

"The spiral staircase in the old lighthouse wound around for over a hundred steps to the top."

describing circles, arcs, or rings that have the same center

"The circles are concentric."

"The circles are concentric and all share the same center point but have different radii."

a geometric shape with five angles and five straight sides

"A pentagon has five."

"The United States Department of Defense headquarters is famously known as the Pentagon due to its five-sided geometric shape."

(geometry) a shape that consists of a line alternating its direction to left and right

"The path made a zigzag."

"The path through the mountains followed a steep zigzag, making the ascent challenging but rewarding."

having a surface that is curved inward

"The lens is concave."

"The concave lens is thinner in the middle than at the edges and it is used to correct nearsightedness in eyeglasses."

having a surface that is curved outward

"The mirror is convex."

"The convex mirror on the car door helps drivers see objects that are behind them because the curved surface provides a wider field of view."

(geometry) a closed shape with six straight sides and six angles

"A hexagon has six sides."

"A hexagon is a polygon with six sides and six angles, commonly found in nature."

(geometry) a flat shape consisting of three or more straight sides

"A polygon has sides."

"A polygon is a closed two-dimensional shape formed by straight line segments, such as a triangle or a square."

(geometry) a polygon consisting of eight straight sides and eight angles

"An octagon has eight sides."

"The stop sign is a familiar example of an octagon, a polygon with precisely eight equal sides and angles."

(geometry) a flat shape with four equal sides in which opposite angles are equal

"A rhombus has four equal sides."

"A rhombus looks like a slanted square and has four equal sides with equal opposite angles."

resembling a cone in shape

"The hat is conical."

"The hat is conical and looks like the kind that wizards wear in fantasy movies."

either half of a sphere

"Earth has two hemispheres."

"The Northern Hemisphere experiences winter when the Southern Hemisphere is enjoying its summer season."

(of a straight line) joining opposite corners of a flat shape at an angle

"Draw a diagonal line."

"Draw a diagonal line from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the square."

a curved shape with narrow points at the ends that appears wider in the middle, like the shape of the moon in its first and last quarters

"The crescent was curved."

"A crescent is a curved shape resembling a thin segment of a ring"

a curved shape

"The moon formed an arc."

"The beautiful arc of the rainbow stretched across the sky after the rain shower."

a straight line that defines the symmetry or structure of a figure or object

"The wheel has an axis."

"The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours, creating day and night."

(geometry) a solid figure with flat sides and two parallel ends of the same size and shape

"Prism has flat sides."

"A triangular prism will disperse a beam of white light into its constituent spectral colors"

having a shape that winds around a central point or axis

"The staircase is spiral."

"The spiral staircase wound around and around up to the top of the lighthouse tower."

a rectangular figure that has unequal adjacent sides with arched angles

"The dining table was an oblong shape"

"She placed an oblong mirror above the fireplace to make the narrow hallway look much wider."

a shape that is wide in the middle and narrow at both ends

"An oval is roundish."

"The artist painted an oval portrait of the queen with delicate features."

(geometry) a line curved on a conical or cylindrical surface, like a spiral staircase in shape

"The helix goes around."

"The DNA molecule has a characteristic double helix structure, resembling a twisted ladder or spiral staircase."

(geometry) a parallelogram with four straight sides and no right angles

"This shape is a rhomboid."

"The architect designed a window with a rhomboid shape, which was a parallelogram but lacked any 90-degree angles."

resembling a cube in shape

"The shape is cubic."

"The cubic shape of the building made it look like a giant box from the outside."

something that resembles a spiral or coil

"Her hair had a curl."

"The curl in the ribbon made it look neat and elegant."

(geometry) a four-sided figure with opposite equal angles, forming a diamond shape

"A lozenge is shaped like a diamond."

"The old-fashioned sweets were shaped like a lozenge and had a pleasant minty flavor."