Vertigo
Spiral staircase suspense
Vertigo is a sensation of spinning or tilting when you're actually still—the feeling that the room is rotating around you or that you're falling through space.
It differs from ordinary dizziness: vertigo specifically involves illusory movement.
The cause is usually inner-ear disturbance affecting balance.
A sudden bout of vertigo made her grab the railing.
The word extends to disorientation from heights or figurative unsteadiness: the vertigo of sudden fame.
Unsteady, spinning sensation
- lightheadednessSensation of near-fainting
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- nauseaPre-vomiting stomach discomfort
- spinningRevolving around an axis
disorientation · inner ear · labyrinthitis · vestibular · otolith · equilibrium · unsteadiness · wooziness
Loss of spatial awareness
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
dissociation · spiral · instability · groundlessness · unmoored · reeling · bewilderment · turmoil
Movie or coating
- ScottieSmall terrier breed
- MadeleineFemale name, French origin
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- San FranciscoNorthern California metropolis
bell tower · Kim Novak · James Stewart · dolly zoom · suspense · thriller · nightmare · acrophobia
Vertical measurements or summits
- cliffVertical rock wall
- ledgeProjecting horizontal surface
- skyscraperVery tall urban building
- balconyRaised exterior platform
rooftop · precipice · abyss · looking down · railing · edge · tower · observation deck
dizziness
Unsteady, spinning sensation
- lightheadednessSensation of near-fainting
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- nauseaPre-vomiting stomach discomfort
spinning · disorientation · inner ear · labyrinthitis · vestibular · otolith · equilibrium · unsteadiness · wooziness · fainting
disorientation
Loss of spatial awareness
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
overwhelm · dissociation · spiral · instability · groundlessness · unmoored · reeling · bewilderment · turmoil · whirlwind
film
Movie or coating
- ScottieSmall terrier breed
- MadeleineFemale name, French origin
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
San Francisco · bell tower · Kim Novak · James Stewart · dolly zoom · suspense · thriller · nightmare · acrophobia · noir
heights
Vertical measurements or summits
- cliffVertical rock wall
- ledgeProjecting horizontal surface
- skyscraperVery tall urban building
balcony · rooftop · precipice · abyss · looking down · railing · edge · tower · observation deck · bridge
- U2Sunday Bloody Sunday, Beautiful Day, Desire, New Years Day, The Joshua Tree
- cinemafilm, films, film studios, movies, movie
- Classic FilmsCasablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Some Like It Hot, Rear Window
- HitchcockThe Birds, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Rebecca, The 39 Steps
- land snailsland snail, snail, escargot, snail shell, air-breathing
- Lighter BrandsZippo, BIC, Dupont, Prometheus, Blazer
Vertigobalance
Steadiness or amount owed
equilibrium · stability · steadiness · groundedness · sure-footedness
Vertigoclarity
State of being understandable
groundedness · lucidity · equanimity · composure · clear-headedness
- vertical videosRecordings taller than wide
- vertical takeoffAscent without forward motion
- vertical flightAscent or descent directly upward
- vertical lineStraight mark, floor to ceiling
- vertical leapMaximum upward jump distance
- vertical liftRaising something straight up
vertical, vertically, verticality, vertiginous, converting, convertible, reverting, inverting, subverting