centrifugal force
noun
Simple meaning
The effect that tends to move an object away from the center of a circle it is rotating about.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sehntrifyihguhlfawrsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
sɛntˈɹɪfjɪɡəlˈfɔɹs
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
In everyday understanding, the effect that tends to move an object away from the center of a circle it is rotating about (a consequence of inertia).
physics
In a rotating reference frame, the apparent force that seems to push all bodies away from the centre of rotation of the frame and is a consequence of the body's mass and the frame's angular speed. It works in conjunction with the Coriolis force to give correct motion.
physics
The outward force on a body moving in a curved path around another body
physicserroneous
Centripetal force.
physics
In circular motion, the 'reactive' centrifugal force is a real force applied by the accelerating body that is equal and opposite to the centripetal force that is acting on the accelerating body.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In everyday understanding, the effect that tends to move an object away from the center of a circle it is rotating about (a consequence of inertia).
Used this way, centrifugal force is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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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.