barrel shape

Bulging cylindrical vessel

A barrel shape is wider in the middle and narrower at the ends, like a wooden barrel or wine cask.

The term describes this distinctive curved profile in various contexts—body types, architectural elements, optical distortions in photography, or any object with a bulging center: The lens produced slight barrel distortion at the edges.

Related
  • drumStruck percussion cylinder
  • caskWooden storage barrel
  • kegSmall beverage barrel
  • beer kegPressurized draft container
  • oak agedMatured in hardwood containers

rounded · stout · belly · beer belly · bulge · cooper · wine · oak · wooden · stave · hoop · curved · vessel · rotund · vat · tubby · potbelly · pot belly stove

Opposites
geometric form

barrel shapehourglass shape

Pinched center, flared ends

cylinder · cylindrical · wasp-waisted · prismatic · rectangular prism

curvature direction

barrel shapehourglass shape

Pinched center, flared ends

wasp-waisted · concave · wasp waist · necked · cinched

Family

barrel, shape, barrels, barreled, barreling, shapes, shaped, shaping, shapely

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G