Standard Lemma guide

orthogonal

adj · noun · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɔːˈθɒɡ.ə.nəl/
  • General-American, dialectal: /ɔɹˈθɑ.ɡə.nəl/ of Canada
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, dialectal: /ɔɹˈθɒɡ.ə.nəl/ of the US
  • Australian: /oːˈθɔɡ.ə.nəl/
  • Queensland Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Zealand: /oːˈθɒɡ.ə.nəl/
  • New-Zealand: [oːˈθɔ̟ɡ.ə.nəl]
  • CMU ARPABET: AO0 R TH AO1 G AH0 N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of two objects, at right angles; perpendicular to each other.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • A chord and the radius that bisects it are orthogonal.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a pair of vectors: having a zero inner product; perpendicular.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • The normal vector and tangent vector at a given point are orthogonal.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of a square matrix: such that its transpose is equal to its inverse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of a linear transformation: preserving its angles.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Of grid graphs, board games and polyominoes: vertical or horizontal but not diagonal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of a pair of elements in an ortholattice: each less than or equal to the orthocomplement of the other.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Statistically independent, with reference to variates.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: mathematics, sciences, statistics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adj

Meaning 8

Of two or more aspects of a problem, able to be treated separately; of a design, exhibiting consistency and composability.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences, software

Examples

  • The content of the message should be orthogonal to the means of its delivery.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adj

Meaning 9

Of two or more problems or subjects, independent of or irrelevant to each other.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

An orthogonal line.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • All of the orthogonals in this painting display an understanding of linear perspective.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

having a set of mutually perpendicular axes; meeting at right angles

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • wind and sea may displace the ship's center of gravity along three orthogonal axes
  • a rectangular Cartesian coordinate system

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rectangular

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective satellite

Meaning 12

statistically unrelated

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

not pertinent to the matter under consideration

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an issue extraneous to the debate
  • the price was immaterial
  • mentioned several impertinent facts before finally coming to the point

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extraneous, immaterial, impertinent

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle French orthogonal, in turn from Medieval Latin orthogōnālis and Latin orthogōnius (“right-angled”), ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀρθογώνιος (orthogṓnios, “rectangular”). By surface analysis, ortho- + -gon + -al.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: правоъгълен (pravoǎgǎlen) — of right angles
  • Catalan: ortogonal — of right angles
  • Czech: pravoúhlý — of right angles
  • Danish: ortogonal — of right angles
  • Danish: vinkelret — of right angles
  • Dutch: orthogonaal — of right angles
  • Dutch: loodrecht — of right angles
  • Finnish: ortogonaalinen — of right angles
  • Finnish: suorakulmainen — of right angles
  • French: orthogonal — of right angles
  • German: rechtwinklig — of right angles
  • Greek: ορθογώνιος (orthogónios) — of right angles
  • Hindi: लांबिक (lāmbik) — of right angles
  • Hindi: लंब कोणीय (lamb koṇīya) — of right angles
  • Hungarian: ortogonális — of right angles
  • Irish: ortagánach — of right angles
  • Irish: ingearach — of right angles
  • Irish: dronuilleach — of right angles
  • Italian: ortogonale — of right angles
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ortogonal — of right angles
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ortogonal — of right angles
  • Polish: prostopadły — of right angles
  • Polish: ortogonalny — of right angles
  • Portuguese: ortogonal — of right angles
  • Portuguese: perpendicular — of right angles
  • Russian: прямоуго́льный (prjamougólʹnyj) — of right angles
  • Russian: ортогона́льный (ortogonálʹnyj) — of right angles
  • Spanish: ortogonal — of right angles
  • Swedish: ortogonal — of right angles
  • Swedish: vinkelrät — of right angles
  • Swedish: rätvinklig — of right angles
  • Catalan: ortogonal — mathematical term
  • Chinese Mandarin: 正交的 (zhèngjiāo de) — mathematical term
  • Czech: kolmý — mathematical term
  • Dutch: orthogonaal — mathematical term
  • Finnish: ortogonaalinen — mathematical term
  • French: orthogonal — mathematical term
  • Georgian: მართკუთხა (martḳutxa) — mathematical term
  • German: senkrecht — mathematical term
  • German: orthogonal — mathematical term
  • Hungarian: ortogonális — mathematical term
  • Irish: ortagánach — mathematical term
  • Irish: ingearach — mathematical term
  • Kazakh: ортогоналды (ortogonaldy) — mathematical term
  • Kazakh: ортогоналдық (ortogonaldyq) — mathematical term
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ortogonal — mathematical term
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ortogonal — mathematical term
  • Polish: prostopadły — mathematical term
  • Polish: ortogonalny — mathematical term
  • Russian: ортогона́льный (ortogonálʹnyj) — mathematical term
  • Spanish: ortogonal — mathematical term
  • Swedish: ortogonal — mathematical term
  • Finnish: tilastollisesti riippumaton — statistically independent
  • French: orthogonal — statistically independent
  • Irish: ortagánach — statistically independent
  • Irish: ingearach — statistically independent
  • Polish: ortogonalny — statistically independent
  • Russian: ортогона́льный (ortogonálʹnyj) — statistically independent
  • Swedish: ortogonal — statistically independent
  • Finnish: riippumaton — software: able to be treated separately
  • French: indépendant — software: able to be treated separately
  • Irish: ortagánach — software: able to be treated separately
  • Irish: ingearach — software: able to be treated separately
  • Polish: niezależny — software: able to be treated separately
  • Spanish: independiente — software: able to be treated separately
Real reading context

orthogonal in complete knowledge articles

Tenjiku shogi History & culture · Challenging · 16 uses Sho shogi Everyday life · Developing · 11 uses Smith–Minkowski–Siegel mass formula Ideas & learning · Challenging · 5 uses Numerology (wireless) Language & communication · Advanced · 2 uses Riemannian submersion Ideas & learning · Advanced · 2 uses