vertiginous

[ver-tij-uh-nuhs]

adjective

1. whirling; spinning; rotary.

   vertiginous currents of air.

2. affected with vertigo; dizzy.

3. liable or threatening to cause vertigo.

   a vertiginous climb.

4. apt to change quickly; unstable.

   a vertiginous economy.

vertiginous

/ vɜːˈtɪdʒɪnəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or having vertigo

2. producing dizziness

3. whirling

4. changeable; unstable

Other Word Forms

• vertiginously adverb
• vertiginousness noun
• unvertiginous adjective
• unvertiginously adverb
• unvertiginousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertiginous¹

1600–10; < Latin vertīginōsus dizzy, equivalent to vertīgin- (stem of vertīgō ) vertigo + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertiginous¹

C17: from Latin vertīginōsus, from _vertigo

Example Sentences

As Johnson puts it, “the vertiginous reality is that now, in the 2020s, we are once again living through the 1970s.”

From Los Angeles Times

One of the great theatrical speeches written in the last 25 years, this vertiginous paean to America’s pastime was no doubt a factor in O’Hare’s win.

From Los Angeles Times

The individual tiles and reinforcement bars create a striking impression of an enthralling and vertiginous centrifugal motion.

From Los Angeles Times

“Floor Scrapers,” a personal favorite, assumes an intimate vantage point of looking down toward the workmen’s vigorous labor, which results in a floor that appears vertiginously tilted up.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s the satisfying meat and potatoes of exploration at Castle Ensis, with vertiginous balustrades and winding ramparts that cross over and under themselves in impossible architectural configurations.

From New York Times