BULBOUS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bulbous mean? 

• BULBOUS (adjective)
  The adjective BULBOUS has 2 senses:

1. shaped like a bulb

2. curving outward

  Familiarity information: BULBOUS used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BULBOUS (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Shaped like a bulb

Synonyms:

bulb-shaped; bulblike; bulbous

Similar:

circular; round (having the shape or form of a circle)

Derivation:

bulb (a rounded part of a cylindrical instrument (usually at one end))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Curving outward

Synonyms:

bellied; bellying; bulbous; bulging; bulgy; protuberant

Similar:

protrusive (thrusting outward)

Derivation:

bulb (a rounded dilation or expansion in a canal or vessel or organ)

 Context examples 

A cell of the pineal body with long processes ending in bulbous expansions.

(Pineocyte, NCI Thesaurus)

Located behind its head and opposite of its arm, this large bulbous structure is home to all of its organs.

(Octopuses can dream, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The fish belong to the snailfish (Liparidae) family, with bulbous heads, translucent, ribbon-like bodies and no scales.

(Three New Species of Fish Found at Bottom of Pacific Ocean, VOA)

One segment seems to be rather elongated, while the other appears more bulbous.

(Rosetta Comet May Be a Contact Binary, NASA)

A bulbous herb isolated from the plant Allium sativum with potential antineoplastic activity.

(Garlic, NCI Thesaurus)

He held up two bulbous fingers "—always together."

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)