What this suffix does
-shaped describes the shape of something: heart-shaped, pear-shaped, L-shaped. Very productive: it combines with almost any object to describe a shape.
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Suffix · forms adjectives
-shaped
Describes the shape of something, literal or figurative: heart-shaped and pear-shaped.
In Spanish: con forma de / en forma deIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Trap: "pear-shaped" is also an idiom
"go pear-shaped" means something went badly wrong, unrelated to the actual shape of a pear. It is a fixed idiom you have to learn separately.
How it is formed
Noun or letter + shaped.
- heart + shapedheart-shaped
- pear + shapedpear-shaped
- V + shapedV-shaped
Fairly productive: almost any noun or object can combine with -shaped to describe a shape.
How it is pronounced
-shaped
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Base word
With -shaped
In a phrase
- pearpear-shapedThe vase has a nice pear-shaped design.
- heartheart-shapedHe gave her a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
- VV-shapedThe birds flew in a V-shaped formation.
- crescentcrescent-shapedThe bay has a crescent-shaped beach.
- LL-shapedTheir new apartment has an L-shaped living room.
Common mistakes
"pear-shaped" = shaped like a pear (a compliment, since pears are attractive)
"pear-shaped" (British English) = gone completely wrong; failed in a disastrous way
"Pear-shaped" as an idiom in British English means that something has gone completely and comprehensively wrong — nothing to do with the shape of a pear. The origin is disputed (possibly from RAF slang, possibly from pottery), but the figurative meaning is firmly established. To say a plan "went pear-shaped" is to say it failed badly. Learners who know only the literal meaning will completely misread sentences using this idiom.
V-shaped and U-shaped only describe graphs
V-shaped and U-shaped describe the trajectory of events, policies, and recoveries in journalism and analysis
"V-shaped" and "U-shaped" in economic and political analysis describe the trajectory of decline and recovery. A V-shaped recovery falls sharply and then rises sharply; a U-shaped recovery has a longer period at the bottom. These have become standard analytical vocabulary in journalism, political debate, and policy discussion — not just descriptions of graphs but predictions about how events will unfold.
A trick to remember it
"Shaped" = shaped like, completely literal and productive: attach it to almost any object (heart-SHAPED). The one trap: "go pear-shaped" is a fixed idiom (to go badly wrong), unrelated to the real shape of a pear.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"go pear-shaped" is an idiom meaning...
Frequently asked questions
What does the suffix -shaped mean in English?
The suffix -shaped describes the shape of something, literal or figurative: heart-shaped and pear-shaped. In Spanish it usually maps to con forma de / en forma de.
Can you give an example of a word with -shaped?
"pear" becomes "pear-shaped". It is a typical example of the -shaped suffix.
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