atomic

American  

[uh-tom-ik] / əˈtɒm ɪk /

Also atomical

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, resulting from, or using atoms, atomic energy, or atomic bombs.

   an atomic explosion.

2. propelled or driven by atomic energy.

   an atomic submarine.

3. Chemistry. existing as free, uncombined atoms.

4. extremely minute.

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atomic British  

/ əˈtɒmɪk /

adjective

1. of, using, or characterized by atomic bombs or atomic energy

   atomic warfare

2. of, related to, or comprising atoms

   atomic hydrogen

3. extremely small; minute

4. logic (of a sentence, formula, etc) having no internal structure at the appropriate level of analysis. In predicate calculus, Fa is an atomic sentence and Fx an atomic predicate

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atomic Scientific  

/ ə-tŏm′ĭk /

1. Relating to an atom or to atoms.

2. Employing nuclear energy.

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Other Word Forms

• nonatomic
  adjective
• nonatomical
  adjective
• atomically
  adverb
• nonatomically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of atomic

First recorded in 1670–80; atom + -ic

Explanation

Something that has to do with atoms is atomic. Atomic structure, for example, means the way an atom is organized and what it's made of. You'll often find the word atomic specifically describing power or weapons — in this case, atomic means the process of either splitting an atom, known as fission, or joining two atoms, fusion, to create energy. Also, every chemical element has its own atomic number, which is the number of protons in the nucleus of one of the element's atoms. Atomic comes from the Latin atomus, "indivisible particle," from the Greek atomos, "uncut" or "indivisible."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atomic

Casias, 54, was employed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory — where the first atomic bomb was developed and where nuclear weapons work continues — when she disappeared.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Last year, the government allowed private firms to build and operate atomic power projects, underlining a push for alternative energy.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The launch took place on the day Japan was commemorating the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"Learning to engineer these interfaces with atomic precision opens new opportunities for designing future semiconductor devices that would be difficult to achieve by changing individual materials alone."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

The T-shirt inside had the word “Freddie” above the box from the periodic table that contains the atomic symbol Hg.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• microscopic