nuclear
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or involving atomic weapons.
nuclear war.
-
operated or powered by atomic energy.
a nuclear submarine.
-
(of a nation or group of nations) having atomic weapons.
-
of, relating to, or forming a nucleus.
-
of, relating to, or like the nuclear family.
nuclear bonds.
noun
adjective
-
of, concerned with, or involving the nucleus of an atom
nuclear fission
-
biology of, relating to, or contained within the nucleus of a cell
a nuclear membrane
-
of, relating to, forming, or resembling any other kind of nucleus
-
of, concerned with, or operated by energy from fission or fusion of atomic nuclei
a nuclear weapon
-
involving, concerned with, or possessing nuclear weapons
nuclear war
a nuclear strike
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Relating to or forming a cell nucleus.
-
Relating to atomic nuclei.
-
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
- internuclear adjective
- multinuclear adjective
- postnuclear adjective
Etymology
Origin of nuclear
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 purpose is to curb attempts at remilitarization and nuclear ambitions, and the measures are entirely legitimate, reasonable and lawful,” a spokesman for the ministry said.
The combined entity now possesses 55 gigawatts of generating capacity, including 21 nuclear reactors and over 50 natural gas plants.
From Barron's
They include terrorism, nuclear proliferation, pandemics, new technologies and climate change.
From Salon
The United States briefly took part in the strikes, hitting three major Iranian nuclear sites.
From Barron's
An employee at Japan's nuclear safety agency lost his work phone containing sensitive information during a personal trip to China, Japanese media report.
From BBC
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.
