nuclear

[ noo-klee-er, nyoo- or, by metathesis, -kyuh-ler ]
See synonyms for nuclear on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to or involving atomic weapons: nuclear war.

  2. operated or powered by atomic energy: a nuclear submarine.

  1. (of a nation or group of nations) having atomic weapons.

  2. of, relating to, or forming a nucleus.

  3. of, relating to, or like the nuclear family: nuclear bonds.

nounInformal.
  1. nuclear energy: switching to nuclear as a power source.

Origin of nuclear

1
1840–50; nucle(us) + -ar1; compare French nucléaire

pronunciation note For nuclear

In pronouncing nuclear, the second and third syllables are most commonly said as [-klee-er], /-kli ər/, 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 [-kyuh-ler]. /-kyə lər/. Since [-klee-er], /-kli ər/, the common pronunciation of ‐cle·ar, might also be represented, broadly, as [-kluh-yer], /-klə yər/, the [-kyuh-ler] /-kyə lər/ pronunciation can be seen as coming from a process of metathesis, in which the [l] /l/ and the [y] /y/ 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 words from nuclear

  • in·ter·nu·cle·ar, adjective
  • mul·ti·nu·cle·ar, adjective
  • post·nu·cle·ar, adjective

Words Nearby nuclear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nuclear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nuclear

nuclear

/ (ˈnjuːklɪə) /


adjective
  1. of, concerned with, or involving the nucleus of an atom: nuclear fission

  2. biology of, relating to, or contained within the nucleus of a cell: a nuclear membrane

  1. of, relating to, forming, or resembling any other kind of nucleus

  2. of, concerned with, or operated by energy from fission or fusion of atomic nuclei: a nuclear weapon

  3. involving, concerned with, or possessing nuclear weapons: nuclear war; a nuclear strike

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for nuclear

nuclear

[ nōōklē-ər ]


  1. Relating to or forming a cell nucleus.

  2. Relating to atomic nuclei.

  1. Using energy derived from the nuclei of atoms through fission or fusion reactions.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.