roundness

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The quality of having a curved shape like a circle or ball.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable: the roundness of the moon.

   Patterns

   • the roundness of something

   The roundness of the Earth was proven by early sailors.

   I love the roundness of these pebbles from the beach.

   The baby's cheeks had a soft roundness.

2. 2noununcountablefigurative

   A full, smooth and pleasant quality in a sound or flavor.

   Grammar: Used about music or wine: the roundness of the tone.

   Patterns

   • the roundness of something

   Critics praised the roundness of the cello's tone.

   The wine has a pleasing roundness with no sharp edges.

   The roundness of her voice filled the hall.

Common combinations

the roundness of the Earth

The roundness of the Earth is easy to see from space.

perfect roundness

Each ball is checked for perfect roundness.

soft roundness

He admired the soft roundness of the hills.

roundness of tone

The singer has an impressive roundness of tone.

Synonyms and how they differ

circularity

Circularity is a precise, technical word for being circular, while roundness also applies to balls and curves.

curvature

Curvature measures how much something bends, whereas roundness says it is shaped like a circle or ball.

fullness

Fullness stresses richness or amount, while roundness stresses curved shape or a smooth sound.

plumpness

Plumpness is about a soft, fat roundness of the body or fruit and can sound less neutral.

Opposites

Word family

round adjective

shaped like a circle or ball

roundly adverb

in a firm or thorough way

rounded adjective

curved at the edge or fully developed

rounder noun

a person or thing that makes or is round

Commonly confused: roundness or roundedness?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “roundness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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