metabolic

American  

[met-uh-bol-ik] / ˌmɛt əˈbɒl ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or affected by metabolism.

2. undergoing metamorphosis.

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Usage

What does metabolic mean? Metabolic describes something that is related to or is affected by metabolism, as in Dr. Petrov discovered the patient’s illness had metabolic causes. Your metabolism is the sum of the physical and chemical processes in your body needed to sustain life by producing energy. In humans, metabolism involves a large number of different organs and tissues. For this reason, the word metabolic is frequently used in medicine, nutrition, and other health sciences to discuss the digestive system, circulatory system, and other bodily processes. Example: While studying the birds, the researchers conducted intense studies of the animals’ metabolic rate increases during prolonged flights.

Other Word Forms

• hypermetabolic
  adjective
• metabolically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of metabolic

First recorded in 1735–45; from Greek metabolikós “changeable,” from metabol(ḗ) “change” + -ikos -ic; see metabolism

Explanation

The adjective metabolic describes anything relating to the processes in the body that change food into energy. The high metabolic rate of an endurance athlete requires them to eat enormous meals. Metabolic processes are incredibly complicated, and they happen at the cellular level in human (and non-human) bodies. Turning calories from food into energy which keeps a body moving is just the simplest way to think about metabolic activity. When you consider the change that occurs (a peanut butter and jelly sandwich transforming into energy you use to play a soccer game), the root of metabolic makes total sense: it's the Greek metabole, "a change."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metabolic

Working together with indigestible plant fiber, they can also change the metabolic activity of gut bacteria in ways that favor the production of beneficial phenols.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

People with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that includes high blood pressure, raised blood sugar and excess body fat, may see particular benefits.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

"We have identified a new source of energy at metabolic origin," says Manon Schlikker from the Düsseldorf team.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

The result provides a possible explanation for how some of the earliest metabolic reactions could have obtained the energy needed to proceed before modern biological energy systems evolved.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Every mutant, they noted, was missing a single metabolic function, corresponding to the activity of a single protein enzyme.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee