well-roundedadj.
/ˌwɛlˈraʊndᵻd/, U.S. /ˌwɛlˈraʊndəd/ 1. Perfectly or attractively round in shape. Also: (of a person or part of the body) nicely formed or rounded; very plump or curvaceous.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > shape > [adjective] > rounded or circular
well-roundeda1450
suborbiculate1752
suborbiculated1775
subrotundous1775
rotundate1776
subrotundate1840
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) 165 Loke also þou haue grete wheles made..of grene tymber, or elles grete and huge peces wel rounded of tree þat me calleth rolleres.
1619 C. A. tr. L. Richeome Holy Pictures iii. 43 How excellently the Painter hath drawne his smooth hoofes, well rounded and large.
1703 tr. A. de Ovalle Hist. Relation Chile iii. vii. 82/2 A Stone perfectly well rounded about the bigness of an ordinary Orange.
1752 ‘H. Beaumont’ Crito 17 The Knee should be even, and well-rounded.
1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss II. iii. vi. 83 Such things bring lines in well-rounded faces.
1885 G. C. Whitworth Anglo-Indian Dict. 184/1 Machwás..are very sharp in the bows, with hollow keel, well rounded in the stern.
1920 Amer. Woman Aug. 24/3 (advt.) Even wedding-rings change in style, and the most in favor at present is the narrow, well-rounded ring like our illustration.
1939 C. A. Naether Bk. of Pigeon vii. 146 The Lahore..is a quiet, graceful creature with a well-rounded breast.
2004 E. Brende Better Off ii. xii. 119 When he chuckled,..his well-rounded belly shook noticeably.
2. Of a sentence, phrase, etc.: very neatly finished; elegantly expressed. Cf. well-turned adj. 2, rounded adj. 8.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > elegance > [adjective] > neat > neatly rounded (of period)
rounded1719
well-rounded1764
1764 Crit. Rev. Feb. 108 Those amongst our readers who look only for smooth and well-rounded periods..will be greatly disappointed.
1777 Gentleman's Mag. June 283/2 This may be a well rounded period! but it is very little like truth or reality.
1813 Examiner 15 Feb. 106/2 He was..fond of strutting sentiments, and well-rounded declamation.
1889 F. E. Gretton Memory's Harkback 277 Assuredly the preacher mistakes his errand..when he strives after fine phrases,..well-rounded periods.
1946 Amer. Hist. Rev. 51 349 In a country attuned to the well-rounded phrase, that was Rui's great advantage: he was a born orator.
2005 R. P. Irvine J. Austen 73 This paragraph consists of a series of clauses and phrases separated by dashes and semi-colons instead of Austen's more usual well-rounded sentences.
3. Fully developed, complete; well-balanced, varied; esp. (of a person) having or characterized by a variety of abilities, interests, etc. Cf. rounded adj. 9.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > [adjective] > of a person or his life
well-rounded1897
1853 H. W. Longfellow Jrnl. 7 Jan. in S. Longfellow Life H. W. Longfellow (1886) II. ix. 231 There was something so complete and well-rounded in his life.
1897 R. B. Peery Gist of Japan 224 The great variety of work necessitates a well-rounded man.
1927 Amer. Mercury May p. lxxi (advt.) This is a well-rounded, balanced account of a great preacher of the old days.
1968 Jrnl. Human Resources 3 229 On-the-job training is also becoming specialized... Thus only a minority of apprentices today receive a well-rounded education.
2006 A. Robbins Overachievers ii. 49 The well-rounded kids who don't just stick to one small section, kids who actually do stuff like sports as well as drama and student council.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.a1450