What does rectilineal mean?
Rectilineal is a rare adjective meaning composed of, following, or connected with straight lines. It is used especially in geometry, where a rectilineal figure or path is made from straight segments rather than curves. The word also carries a broader stylistic association with rigid geometry, order, and an absence of organic or flowing forms, although this use may be literary rather than strictly technical. In everyday English, the closely related adjective “rectilinear” is normally preferred, and some speakers regard “rectilineal” as unnecessarily formal. Its value is chiefly as a precise term for describing straight-line construction. The word is not restricted by region, but it is uncommon in both British and American English. In a sentence such as “The building has a rectilineal design,” it identifies the design as fundamentally geometric rather than curvilinear. Because it sounds technical and emphatic, the term can also give an architectural or artistic description a deliberately austere quality, but it should not be used merely as a vague substitute for “straightforward.”
adjectiveConsisting of, following, or relating to straight lines. It is a rare formal or technical equivalent of “rectilinear.”
- Consisting of or relating to straight lines.
"The architect designed a rectilineal façade with no curved ornamentation."
"The instrument traces rectilineal paths across the surface of the specimen."
"Her use of rectilineal forms gave the sculpture a stark, geometric character."
Rectilineal is geometry with curves ruled out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rectilineal come from?
The word comes through Latin rectilineus, formed from rectus, meaning “straight” or “right,” and linea, meaning “line.” It entered English as a formal geometric term meaning “having straight lines” or “proceeding in a straight line.” Its relatives include the standard modern adjective “rectilinear,” the noun “rectilinearity,” and the verb “rectilineate.”
How rectilineal is actually used
This is a rare, formal or technical term, used chiefly in geometry and related contexts. In ordinary use, “rectilinear” is more common.
Easily confused with rectilineal
Both mean involving straight lines, but “rectilinear” is the standard modern term, whereas “rectilineal” is rarer and more explicitly formal or technical.