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
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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.
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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.
It’s true that should the Iranian regime topple “the country’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and operating nuclear reactors could become dangerously unsecured.”
Iran is seeking to have US economic sanctions on the country lifted, in exchange for what Araghchi said at the forum could be "a series of confidence-building measures concerning the nuclear programme."
From Barron's
It has 57,000 wind turbines in the U.S., which supply half of the country’s wind power, Stazik said, with the company in the early stages of bringing more nuclear power to North America.
From Barron's
Under the pact, Australia is supposed to start acquiring its own Virginia-class submarines, which are nuclear powered, from the U.S. from the early 2030s.
Lee Ho-ryung, principal researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, told AFP the upcoming congress would likely see Kim announce "that the goal is now to maximise nuclear operational prowess".
From Barron's
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.
