amalgam

American  

[uh-mal-guhm] / əˈmæl gəm /

noun

1. an alloy of mercury with another metal or metals.

2. an alloy that consists chiefly of silver mixed with mercury and variable amounts of other metals and is used as a dental filling.

3. a rare mineral, an alloy of silver and mercury, occurring as silver-white crystals or grains.

4. a mixture or combination.

   His character is a strange amalgam of contradictory traits.

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amalgam British  

/ əˈmælɡəm /

noun

1. an alloy of mercury with another metal, esp with silver

   dental amalgam

2. a rare white metallic mineral that consists of silver and mercury and occurs in deposits of silver and cinnabar

3. a blend or combination

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amalgam Scientific  

/ ə-măl′gəm /

1. An alloy of mercury and another metal, especially:

2. An alloy of mercury and silver used in dental fillings.

3. An alloy of silver and tin used in silvering mirrors.

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Etymology

Origin of amalgam

1425–75; late Middle English amalgam ( e ) < Middle French < Medieval Latin < dialectal Arabic al the + malgham < Greek málagma softening agent, equivalent to malak- (stem of malássein to soften) + -ma noun suffix

Explanation

In science, when you mix a metal with mercury to soften it, you create an amalgam. Otherwise, an amalgam is simply a combination of two or more unlike things into one. Use amalgam when the mixture of several things creates something different and larger. If your school puts together a drug prevention task force of police, doctors, teachers, social workers, and students, the task force is an amalgam of local resources. If your band plays a combination of country music and jazz, they play an amalgam of contemporary styles. We can only hope they play it well.

Example Sentences

“As most fiction, it is a composite, an amalgam of personal experience, research and my fertile, overactive imagination,” Raicek said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Nations meeting in Geneva agreed "to end the use of dental amalgam by 2034, marking a historic milestone in reducing mercury pollution", the conference announced in its closing statement.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

Last month, an amalgam of Celtic fans' groups called the Celtic Fan Collective had a meeting with some key people at the club and they asked if Rodgers had the final say on all players.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

For Wolf Jackson, the dead tough-guy actor in the blockbuster “Beetlejuice” sequel, Dafoe referenced an amalgam of TV detectives and couldn’t resist going for “the Jack Lord hair.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2024

Candidates would need a degree of stenographic and typewriting skill, but what he most looked for and was so very adept at sensing was that alluring amalgam of isolation, weakness, and need.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• admixture
• alloy
• amalgamation