Meaning & use
pumpkin-shaped
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Having a round, slightly flattened form with a ribbed surface, like a pumpkin.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after a verb: a pumpkin-shaped lamp, the lamp is pumpkin-shaped.
Patterns
- a pumpkin-shaped something
She served the soup in a pumpkin-shaped bowl.
The bakery sells pumpkin-shaped cookies in October.
A pumpkin-shaped lantern glowed on the porch.
Common combinations
- pumpkin-shaped candle
- We lit a pumpkin-shaped candle on the table.
- pumpkin-shaped cookie
- Each pumpkin-shaped cookie had icing for a face.
- pumpkin-shaped bowl
- A pumpkin-shaped bowl held the candy.
- pumpkin-shaped lantern
- The pumpkin-shaped lantern lit the path.
- pumpkin-shaped cake
- The pumpkin-shaped cake was her best creation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- round
- Round only describes a circular form, while pumpkin-shaped adds a flattened, ribbed look.
- squat
- Squat means short and wide, but it does not suggest the ribs of a pumpkin.
- globular
- Globular is a formal word for ball-shaped, with no flattening.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pumpkin-shaped or pumpkin-colored?
pumpkin-shaped vs pumpkin-colored
Pumpkin-colored means orange like a pumpkin, while pumpkin-shaped is about the form.
Practice
A baker sells cookies that are round, flat and ribbed like the vegetable. How are they described?
Choose one answer.
Shape is about the form, so pumpkin-shaped fits. Colored, flavored and sized describe other qualities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pumpkin-shaped”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.