ENGLISH
REFERENCE

concave

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈkɑnkeɪv// UK //kɒnkˈeɪv// con·cave

adj. curving inward like the inside of a bowl or a spoon. It is the opposite of convex, which curves outward.

adj. curving or hollowing inward; having a surface that is lower in the middle than at the edges. Often used in optics to describe lenses that diverge light.


SIMPLE

The inside of a spoon has a concave shape.

CONTEXTUAL

The architect designed a concave wall to help focus the sound toward the center of the auditorium.

COMPLEX

A concave lens causes parallel rays of light to spread out, making it an essential component in corrective eyewear for people with nearsightedness.

Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English concave, from Old French concave, from Latin concavus.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb like 'is' or 'appears'.

Pitfall

a concave mirror curves outwarda concave mirror curves inwardLearners frequently confuse 'concave' with 'convex'; remember that 'cave' implies a hollow space going inward.

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