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View synonyms for

pendulum

[ pen-juh-luhm, pen-duh- ]

noun

  1. a body so suspended from a fixed point as to move to and fro by the action of gravity and acquired momentum.
  2. Horology. a swinging lever, weighted at the lower end, for regulating the speed of a clock mechanism.
  3. something that tends to move from one position, condition, etc., to the opposite extreme and then back again:

    In a democratic society, the pendulum of political thought swings left and right.



pendulum

/ ˈɛԻʊə /

noun

  1. a body mounted so that it can swing freely under the influence of gravity. It is either a bob hung on a light thread ( simple pendulum ) or a more complex structure ( compound pendulum )
  2. such a device used to regulate a clockwork mechanism
  3. something that changes its position, attitude, etc fairly regularly

    the pendulum of public opinion

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pendulum

  1. A mass hung from a fixed support so that it is able to swing freely under the influence of gravity. Since the motion of pendulums is regular and periodic, they are often used to regulate the action of various devices, especially clocks.
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Other Word Forms

  • d·ܳ· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pendulum1

1650–60; < New Latin, noun use of neuter of Latin pendulus pendulous
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pendulum1

C17: from Latin pendulus pendulous
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I hoped that during the next decade, the pendulum would swing back from 9/11 overreach and regain some semblance of equipoise.

From

Lets take a look at what could happen when the pendulum takes another huge swing to close out the long weekend...

From

The second Trump presidency, in this view, will be an especially ugly form of normal politics, and then the pendulum will swing back in customary fashion.

From

we are seeing in this country with reactionary politics is just the pendulum of history swinging backward in a bad way.

From

Bobby Jones, the epitome of class, came along next, and the pendulum soon swung to the U.S. side of the Atlantic.

From

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pendulouspendulum effect