adj
tubular
TYOOB-yuu-luh
adj
1
Shaped like a tube; hollow and cylindrical.
"The bridge was supported by a series of tubular steel beams."
2
(informal, dated) Excellent; awesome.
"It was such a tubular wave, the surfer said, grinning ear to ear."
How to Use Tubular
Learner’s notes
When to use it
The "awesome" sense is dated slang, strongly associated with 1980s surf and valley-speak; using it now usually reads as a deliberate throwback.
Common pairings
tubular steel
tubular frame
Word Forms
more tubular comparative, most tubular superlative
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The bridge was supported by a series of _____ steel beams.
Etymology
From Latin tubulus ("small tube") plus -ar. The slang sense meaning "awesome" comes from surfing culture, describing the hollow, tube-like curl of a great wave — and became a catchphrase of 1980s surfer and valley-girl slang.