spiral
/ˈspaɪ.rəl/ IELTSAcademic
noun
A shape or line that curves around a center and gets farther from it as it turns. It can also mean a movement or process that keeps getting worse.
- The shell had a perfect spiral.
- Her debt started a downward spiral.
adjective
Shaped like a spiral, or moving in a spiral pattern.
- They climbed the spiral stairs.
- The plane made a spiral descent.
verb
To move or make something move in a spiral shape or path. It is often used for something turning downward or outward.
- The birds spiraled above the field.
- Leaves spiraled down in the wind.
Adinary Nuance
A spiral is more specific than a curve or circle. It keeps turning while moving outward or inward. In modern use, it is also common for a bad situation that keeps getting worse, like a downward spiral. That meaning is stronger and more vivid than words like decline or drop.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- xoắn ốc
- Spanish
- espiral
- Chinese
- 螺旋
- Japanese
- 螺旋
- Korean
- 나선
Etymology
Spiral comes from Latin spiralis, meaning “winding” or “twisting,” from spira, “coil.” It entered English in the late 1500s.
Common phrases
spiral staircasedownward spiralspiral out of controlspiral pattern
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between spiral and curve?
- A curve bends, but a spiral keeps turning around a center.
- Is spiral a noun, adjective, or verb?
- It can be all three, depending on the sentence.
- What does downward spiral mean?
- It means a situation is getting worse and harder to stop.
- Is spiral used in formal writing?
- Yes. It is common in academic, news, and everyday English.