metabolic

American  

[met-uh-bol-ik] / ˌmɛt əˈbɒl ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or affected by metabolism.

2. undergoing metamorphosis.

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Usage

What does metabolic mean? Metabolic describes something that is related to or is affected by metabolism, as in Dr. Petrov discovered the patient’s illness had metabolic causes. Your metabolism is the sum of the physical and chemical processes in your body needed to sustain life by producing energy. In humans, metabolism involves a large number of different organs and tissues. For this reason, the word metabolic is frequently used in medicine, nutrition, and other health sciences to discuss the digestive system, circulatory system, and other bodily processes. Example: While studying the birds, the researchers conducted intense studies of the animals’ metabolic rate increases during prolonged flights.

Other Word Forms

• hypermetabolic
  adjective
• metabolically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of metabolic

First recorded in 1735–45; from Greek metabolikós “changeable,” from metabol(ḗ) “change” + -ikos -ic; see metabolism

Explanation

The adjective metabolic describes anything relating to the processes in the body that change food into energy. The high metabolic rate of an endurance athlete requires them to eat enormous meals. Metabolic processes are incredibly complicated, and they happen at the cellular level in human (and non-human) bodies. Turning calories from food into energy which keeps a body moving is just the simplest way to think about metabolic activity. When you consider the change that occurs (a peanut butter and jelly sandwich transforming into energy you use to play a soccer game), the root of metabolic makes total sense: it's the Greek metabole, "a change."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metabolic

Tolo said she also learned she has polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, formerly known as PCOS, and adenomyosis, where the uterine lining grows into the organ’s muscle wall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

At the same time, they disrupted metabolic processes across several types of cells within the tumor microenvironment, further slowing tumor growth.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

It could eventually guide new treatments for sleep disorders linked to metabolic diseases such as diabetes, as well as neurodegenerative conditions including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

“We think it has to do with the metabolic toxicity associated with the lack of exercise,” says Dr. David Alter, a cardiologist who teaches at the University of Toronto.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

All this requires vast amounts of energy —the little packets of ATP which the turning of the metabolic wheel alone can produce.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson