spiral
Adjective:
- Coiled or winding around a central point: Describes something that follows a continuous curve moving away from or toward a center, like a spring or a staircase.
- Example: A spiral staircase leads to the tower.
Noun:
- A continuous, widening or tightening curve around a central point: A two or three-dimensional shape that coils around a center.
- A process of continuous and accelerating change: Often used to describe a situation, like prices or conflict, that gets progressively worse or better in a self-reinforcing way.
- A structure consisting of something wound in loops: Such as a coil of rope or wire.
- A flying maneuver: A downward or upward path following a helical course with a large radius.
Verb:
- To move in a spiral path: To follow a winding, coiled course.
- To form into a spiral shape: To take on or create a coiled configuration.
- To increase or decrease continuously and rapidly: To undergo a progressive and often uncontrollable rise or fall.
Adjective:
- The snail left a spiral trail on the wet pavement.
- They installed a beautiful spiral chandelier.
Noun:
- The galaxy has a distinct spiral shape.
- The country's economy is in an inflationary spiral.
- He carefully released the spiral of rope.
Verb:
- The smoke began to spiral upward from the chimney.
- The road spirals around the mountain to the summit.
- Production costs have spiraled out of control.
"Downward/Upward spiral": A situation that is continuously and rapidly getting worse (downward) or better (upward).
- The team's losing streak started a downward spiral of morale.
- The successful product launch created an upward spiral of investment.
"Spiral into": To fall or descend rapidly into a (usually negative) state.
- After losing his job, he spiraled into depression.
"Vicious spiral": A harmful, self-perpetuating cycle.
- Rising rents and stagnant wages create a vicious spiral for low-income families.
Spirally (adverb): In a spiral manner.
- The vine grew spirally around the pole.
Spiraling (adjective/participle): The process of moving in or forming a spiral; often used to describe rapid change.
- Spiraling costs forced the project to be canceled.
- Coil (n/v): A series of loops; to wind into rings.
- Helix (n): A three-dimensional spiral, like a corkscrew.
- Gyrate (v): To move in a circle or spiral, often rapidly.
- Whorl (n): A pattern of spirals or concentric circles.
Spiral down/up: To move downward or upward in a spiral path; to decrease or increase rapidly.
- The damaged plane spiraled down toward the sea.
- Unemployment has spiraled up in the last quarter.
Spiral off: To diverge or branch off in a spiral-like manner (less common).
- New ideas seemed to spiral off from the main discussion.
"Spiral out of control": To become unmanageable due to rapid and worsening change.
- The political crisis is spiraling out of control.
"A spiral of silence" (Sociological term): A process where people are less likely to voice opinions they perceive as being in the minority.
- The theory of the spiral of silence explains trends in public opinion.
- in the shape of a coil
- flying downward in a helical path with a large radius
- a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
- a coil of rope
- ornament consisting of a curve on a plane that winds around a center with an increasing distance from the center
- a continuously accelerating change in the economy
- a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle
- a plane curve traced by a point circling about the center but at increasing distances from the center
- move in a spiral or zigzag course
- form a spiral
- The path spirals up the mountain
- to wind or move in a spiral course
- the muscles and nerves of his fine drawn body were coiling for action
- black smoke coiling up into the sky
- the young people gyrated on the dance floor