concave

1 of 2

adjective

1
: hollowed or rounded inward like the inside of a bowl
a concave lens
2
: arched in : curving in
used of the side of a curve or surface on which neighboring normals to the curve or surface converge and on which lies the chord joining two neighboring points of the curve or surface

concave

2 of 2

noun

con·​cave ˈkän-ˌkāv How to pronounce concave (audio)
: a concave line or surface

Examples of concave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Neither is Rivian’s design whose rounded edges and distinctive concave headlights create a sort of friendly face, reminiscent of Japanese anime characters. Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Common Pests & Plant Diseases If there are concave yellow spots on the leaf surfaces, white, cotton-like patches on the leaf backs, or pink nodules on the branches, it is likely caused by scale insects. Steve Bender, Southern Living, 28 Jan. 2024 On the convex part, life would go on as usual, but on the concave part major changes could be expected. Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 And, second, when the Earth was folded in half, what would be the concave part and what part would be convex? Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 There is an inner part in which the distance between the leading (front) edge and trailing (rear) edge increases away from the root; a middle part where the edge is almost parallel to the distance between wing tip to wing tip; and the outer part, in which the trailing edge is concave to the wing. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 July 2023 The Popping Frog’s lifelike colors are complimented by its concave face that chugs and spits water in a walk-the-dog motion across the water’s surface. Mark Modoski, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 There’s a large, flat brush for walls and floors, a round brush for concave tubs and sinks, and a pointed brush for grout lines and corners. Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 7 Dec. 2023 Folding the Earth in half foundered on account of NIMBYism coming from what was expected to be the Earth’s concave side, and eventually the idea had to be shelved. Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
Noun
Essentially, a glass concave structure is covered with LED screens that create an immersive 180-degree virtual realm in which seafarers can explore the Serengeti or watch a Grand Prix race, for example. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2024 There’s also a round brush head that cleans concave spaces like tubs and sinks, as well as a pointed brush head for corners and grout lines. Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2023 On the top and bottom of the cylinder, the metal had been pushed up in a concave shape, thrust out from pressure on the inside. Jack Herrera, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023 The trauma about traps owes to the fact that bunkers at Royal Liverpool aren’t maintained in a customary concave style, with sand slopes flashing up the walls to provide loft for escape and help balls roll toward the flat center of the hazard. Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023 The new release swaps traditional convex lenses for a concave design, in an effort to reduce reflections by up to 70 percent. Kristy Alpert, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2023 The festival grounds were strewed with funhouse-style concave/convex mirrors (so ticklishly distortive!), giant replica Minions and even a basketball court scaled down to backyard dimensions. M.t. Richards, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2023 These include iconic Clovis spearpoints with their distinctive flutes – concave areas left behind by removed stone flakes that extend from the base to the middle of the point. Christopher R. Moore, Fortune, 17 June 2023 Traders are surrounded by six to 10 screen concaves, and there’s a different energy in there—tense, stressful and always on the verge of boiling point. Karl Rogers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'concave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Latin concavus, from com- + cavus hollow — more at cave

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1552, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of concave was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near concave

Cite this Entry

“Concave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concave. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

concave

adjective
con·​cave
kän-ˈkāv,
ˈkän-ˌkāv
: hollowed or rounded inward like the inside of a bowl
concave lens
concavity
kän-ˈkav-ət-ē
noun

Medical Definition

concave

adjective
: hollowed or rounded inward like the inside of a bowl

More from Merriam-Webster on concave

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