nuclear
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or involving atomic weapons.
nuclear war.
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operated or powered by atomic energy.
a nuclear submarine.
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(of a nation or group of nations) having atomic weapons.
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of, relating to, or forming a nucleus.
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of, relating to, or like the nuclear family.
nuclear bonds.
noun
adjective
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of, concerned with, or involving the nucleus of an atom
nuclear fission
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biology of, relating to, or contained within the nucleus of a cell
a nuclear membrane
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of, relating to, forming, or resembling any other kind of nucleus
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of, concerned with, or operated by energy from fission or fusion of atomic nuclei
a nuclear weapon
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involving, concerned with, or possessing nuclear weapons
nuclear war
a nuclear strike
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Relating to or forming a cell nucleus.
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Relating to atomic nuclei.
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Using energy derived from the nuclei of atoms through fission or fusion reactions.
Pronunciation
In pronouncing nuclear, the second and third syllables are most commonly said as , a sequence of sounds that directly reflects the spelled sequence ‑cle·ar. In recent years, a somewhat controversial pronunciation has come to public attention, with these two final syllables said as . Since , the common pronunciation of ‑cle·ar, might also be represented, broadly, as , the pronunciation can be seen as coming from a process of metathesis, in which the and the change places. The resulting pronunciation is reinforced by analogy with such words as molecular, particular, and muscular, and although it occurs with some frequency among highly educated speakers, including scientists, professors, and government officials, it is disapproved of by many.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nuclear
Explanation
Nuclear describes something that has to do with the nucleus — the central part — of an atom. If you're a nuclear physicist, you do a lot of work with that part of the atom. Nuclear power, which comes from nuclear fission — the energy released when the nucleus of an atom is split — is a controversial source of renewable energy. The word nuclear is sometimes used broadly to refer to the core of something. Your nuclear family is you, your parents, and your siblings — in a sense, the central part of your world, kind of like the nucleus of an atom.
Vocabulary lists containing nuclear
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The market is shaky because the nuclear euphoria of the pas two years has worn off.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
In the case of nuclear, though, it just diverts power that could have been sold by utilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
But the dramatic advancements made in AI over the last several years has finally made it something that scares people almost as much as nuclear weapons or the hand of God.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
For Bengio, taming AI's advance is "an international challenge, a bit like nuclear weapons are an international challenge."
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
That’s the shape of the nuclear plant where Homer Simpson works, and it’s a common shape for nuclear plant cooling towers.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
