Curve
Not a line
A curve is a line that bends smoothly without angles—the opposite of straight.
Roads curve, rivers curve, a pitcher's curveball curves.
The noun extends to body contours, especially a woman's: She has curves.
To throw someone a curve is to surprise them with something unexpected.
A learning curve measures how quickly skill improves with practice.
In mathematics, a curve is any continuous line, straight or not.
Curved line segment
- bendCurve or flex
- bowRespectful forward inclination
- archCurved spanning structure
- crescentCurved sickle-like arc
spiral · parabola · ellipse · sinusoid · loop · wave · contour · swoosh
Of hurled objects
- arcCurved line segment
- flight pathPlanned aerial trajectory
- projectileLaunched airborne object
- pitchFrequency of sound
throw · swing · spin · slider · curveball · knuckleball · backspin · topspin
Symmetrical open plane curve
- hyperbolaCurve with two branches
- ellipseConic section curve
- sineOpposite over hypotenuse
- cosineRatio in triangle math
tangent · asymptote · derivative · integral · function · graph · plot · exponential
Fashionable or pelvic joint
- waistTorso's narrowest circumference
- silhouetteFilled-in outline shape
- hourglassGravity-powered sand timer
- voluptuousSensually full-bodied
figure · contour · feminine · shapely · physique · bust · torso · proportion
U-shaped fastener for tresses
- switchbackReversing mountain path
- bankingFinancial institution transactions
- guardrailRoadside safety barrier
- driftGradual movement, no direction
apex · chicane · corkscrew · winding · mountain pass · cliffside · blind corner · dangerous
Allocation across recipients
- percentileStatistical ranking threshold
- standard deviationSpread around the mean
- normalizationAdjusting to a standard
- grade inflationUnmerited higher academic scores
pass-fail · threshold · cutoff · assessment · ranking · median · mean · outlier
arc
Curved line segment
crescent · spiral · parabola · ellipse · sinusoid · loop · wave · contour · swoosh · sweep
ballistic
Of hurled objects
- arcCurved line segment
- flight pathPlanned aerial trajectory
- projectileLaunched airborne object
pitch · throw · swing · spin · slider · curveball · knuckleball · backspin · topspin · break
parabola
Symmetrical open plane curve
cosine · tangent · asymptote · derivative · integral · function · graph · plot · exponential · logarithmic
hip
Fashionable or pelvic joint
- waistTorso's narrowest circumference
- silhouetteFilled-in outline shape
- hourglassGravity-powered sand timer
voluptuous · figure · contour · feminine · shapely · physique · bust · torso · proportion · profile
hairpin
U-shaped fastener for tresses
- switchbackReversing mountain path
- bankingFinancial institution transactions
- guardrailRoadside safety barrier
drift · apex · chicane · corkscrew · winding · mountain pass · cliffside · blind corner · dangerous · scenic
distribution
Allocation across recipients
- percentileStatistical ranking threshold
- standard deviationSpread around the mean
- normalizationAdjusting to a standard
grade inflation · pass-fail · threshold · cutoff · assessment · ranking · median · mean · outlier · skew
vector
Quantity with direction
- splineFlexible strip for drafting
- smoothWithout roughness or difficulty
- anchor pointFixed securing location
handle · path · illustrator · CAD · modeling · drafting · template · freeform · organic · streamline
- Crypto platformsCoinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Jupiter, Crypto.com
- DeFilending, swap, staking, liquidity, borrowing
- fragrancesperfume, cologne, aftershave, essential oils, floral
- CryptocurrenciesBitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Dogecoin
- Ethereumsmart contracts, staking, validators, proof of stake, sharding
- ShoegazeMy Bloody Valentine, Lush, Loveless, shoegaze, reverb
Curvestraight line
Undeviated continuous path
straight · line · linear · straightaway · direct
- flatten the curveSpread outbreak over longer period
- learning curveRate of skill acquisition
- curve ballPitch with spin-induced arc
- curved bladesWeapons bent along length
- blind curvesTurns with blocked sightlines
- bell curveNormal distribution's shape
curves, curved, curving, curvy, curvature, curvaceous, curvilinear, curviness, curvier