atomic
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, resulting from, or using atoms, atomic energy, or atomic bombs.
an atomic explosion.
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propelled or driven by atomic energy.
an atomic submarine.
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Chemistry. existing as free, uncombined atoms.
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extremely minute.
adjective
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of, using, or characterized by atomic bombs or atomic energy
atomic warfare
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of, related to, or comprising atoms
atomic hydrogen
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extremely small; minute
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logic (of a sentence, formula, etc) having no internal structure at the appropriate level of analysis. In predicate calculus, Fa is an atomic sentence and Fx an atomic predicate
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Relating to an atom or to atoms.
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Employing nuclear energy.
Other Word Forms
- atomically adverb
- nonatomic adjective
- nonatomical adjective
- nonatomically adverb
Etymology
Origin of atomic
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.
Rendered with atomic specks of red, blue and green that produce a darker purplish cast, its resonant effect is reinforced in the painted border Seurat added later, as he did to many of his seascapes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
Many have expressed fears of an Orwellian-style forever war, or worse, the use of the atomic weapon invented “to end all wars” in a twisted attempt to do so, poisoning the region as a byproduct.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
They paired these measurements with detailed ab initio simulations that tracked thousands of possible atomic pathways and calculated how likely decay was along each one.
From Science Daily • Mar. 24, 2026
The United States ended World War II by dropping two atomic bombs on Japan, the only use of nuclear weapons in history.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
The T-shirt inside had the word “Freddie” above the box from the periodic table that contains the atomic symbol Hg.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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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.