Domed describes something shaped like a dome: rounded on top like half of a hollow ball. The Capitol building in Washington, D.C., is domed, with its famous white rounded roof visible across the city. Many important government buildings, sports stadiums, and churches are domed because this shape is both beautiful and structurally strong.

The dome shape naturally distributes weight evenly around its curved surface, which is why ancient Roman architects used domed roofs for massive structures like the Pantheon, built nearly 2,000 years ago and still standing today. Modern architects continue using domed designs for buildings that need to cover large spaces without interior pillars, like planetariums where audiences look up at projected stars on the curved ceiling.

You might see smaller domed objects too: a domed cake cover in a bakery, a domed lid on a fancy serving dish, or even a turtle's domed shell. The word captures that distinctive rounded curve that rises from a circular base to a peak at the top.