altitude
noun
Simple meaning
The perpendicular distance from the base of a geometric figure to the opposite vertex.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
altuhtoodSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈæltətud
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The absolute height of a location, usually measured from sea level.
commutative algebraof an ideal
Height.
The perpendicular distance from the base of a geometric figure to the opposite vertex (or side if parallel)
astronomy
The angular distance of a heavenly body above our Earth's horizon.
A vertical distance.
Height of rank or excellence; superiority.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The perpendicular distance from the base of a geometric figure to the opposite vertex (or side if parallel)
Used this way, altitude is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use altitude
- “The altitude gave her a headache.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Effects (as nosebleed or nausea) of oxygen deficiency in the blood and tissues at high altitudes.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: absolute height of a location
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.