kinetic
1 Americanadjective
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pertaining to motion.
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caused by motion.
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characterized by movement.
Running and dancing are kinetic activities.
adjective
Usage
What does -kinetic mean? The combining form -kinetic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to movement.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in pathology.The form -kinetic comes from Greek kīnēt(ós), meaning “moving,” from the verb kīneîn, “to move.” The Latin cognate of kīneîn is ciēre (stem cit-), meaning “to move, set in motion,” which is the source of words such as cite and resuscitate. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.What are variants of -kinetic?While there are not any variants of -kinetic, it is related to the forms -kinesis and -kinesia, as in telekinesis and hyperkinesia. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles about these two forms.
Other Word Forms
- kinetically adverb
- nonkinetic adjective
Etymology
Origin of kinetic1
1850–55; < Greek kīnētikós moving, equivalent to kīnē- (verbid stem of kīneîn to move) + -tikos -tic
Origin of -kinetic1
Compare meaning
How does kinetic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
“In the cyber realm, unlike the kinetic world, there is no such thing as a cease-fire,” said Yossi Karadi, head of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate.
And yet, Mr Fuller says, it's precisely such qualities that reveal the form's innate appeal, and see it endure among louder, more kinetic offering.
From BBC
Using a rich, bold palette, he depicted Islamic astronomers, philosophers, and desert wanderers with the same kinetic lines that defined his Indian art, but in warmer, earthen ochres reflecting the Gulf's landscape.
From BBC
Frank Gehry, who died Friday at 96, challenged the notion that buildings needed to behave themselves — creating artful, strange, kinetic combinations of structure, material, form and light, and transforming cities in the process.
From Los Angeles Times
Designed with Czech architect Vlado Milunić, the building — a major step forward for Gehry, who increasingly dabbled in digital design — pits a leaning glass tower against an upright, solid partner, creating a kinetic duet that instantly earned the nickname “Fred and Ginger.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
