absolute zero

American  

noun

1. the temperature of −273.16°C (−459.69°F), the hypothetical point at which all molecular activity ceases.

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absolute zero British  

noun

1. the lowest temperature theoretically attainable, at which the particles constituting matter would be in the lowest energy states available; the zero of thermodynamic temperature; zero on the International Practical Scale of Temperature: equivalent to –273.15°C or –459.67°F

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absolute zero Scientific  

1. The lowest possible temperature, at which all molecules are have the least possible amount of kinetic energy. Absolute zero is equal to 0°K, −459.67°F, or −273.15°C. At temperatures approaching absolute zero, the physical characteristics of some substances change significantly. For example, some substances change from electrical insulators to conductors, while others change from conductors to insulators. Absolute zero has never been reached in laboratory experiments.

2. See also Bose-Einstein condensate zero-point energy

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absolute zero Cultural  

1. The lowest temperature that can be attained by matter, corresponding to the point at which most motion in atoms stops. Absolute zero is about –273 degrees on the Celsius scale and about –460 on the Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit) scale.

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Closer Look

The temperature of a substance is determined by the average velocity of its molecules: the faster they move, the warmer the substance. At absolute zero molecules have minimal kinetic energy (or zero-point energy) and heat energy cannot be extracted from them. The molecules are not motionless, however, due to the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics, which entails that the atoms cannot have both a fixed position and zero momentum at the same time; instead, the molecules of a substance at absolute zero are always “wiggling” in some manner. Absolute zero is zero degrees Kelvin, equal to −273.15 degrees Celsius and −459.67 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest known place in the universe is the Boomerang Nebula, where the temperature is −272° Celsius. Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have gone much lower than that by using laser traps and other techniques to cool rubidium to 2 × 10^null degrees Kelvin.

Example Sentences

When cooled to near absolute zero, the material can settle into any one of these configurations, producing a range of observed states that resemble the continuum seen in quantum spin liquids.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

By placing it inside a helium nanodroplet, they reduced its temperature to just 0.37 degrees above absolute zero.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

Xanadu’s machines will be able to function at room temperature, eliminating the need for the bulky refrigerators needed to cool the components of most computers to absolute zero.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

They tested the system on an ultrathin sample of BSCCO, cooling it to near absolute zero so it would enter its superconducting state.

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

Like Kelvin’s discovery of absolute zero, the laws of thermodynamics erected impenetrable barriers that no scientists can ever cross, no matter how hard they try.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife