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caloric

American  
[kuh-lawr-ik, -lor-] / kəˈlɔr ɪk, -ˈlɒr- /

adjective

  1. of or relating to calories.

    the caloric content of food.

  2. of or relating to heat.

  3. (of engines) driven by heat.

  4. high in calories.

    a caloric meal.


noun

  1. Archaic. heat.

  2. a hypothetical fluid whose presence in matter was thought to determine its thermal state.

caloric British  
/ kəˈlɒrɪk, ˈkælərɪk /

adjective

  1. of or concerned with heat or calories

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. obsolete a hypothetical elastic fluid formerly postulated as the embodiment of heat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of caloric

First recorded in 1785–95; from French calorique, equivalent to calor- (from Latin calor “heat”) + -ique adjective-forming suffix; see -ic


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.

See Examples For:

The effectiveness of GLP-1 weight loss drugs sparked a panic that October, hitting purveyors of caloric food and beverages such as Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Yum Brands and Mondelez.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Indira's mother, a retired nurse, worries about her daughter's reduced caloric intake and her stress levels in these final weeks.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

The Big Arch’s 1,057 calories, for example, can be close to half, or even more than half, what’s often suggested for a total day’s caloric intake.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 30, 2026

Their self-reported perceptions often did not match the caloric intake recorded through the app.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2025

After subsisting for three months on an exceedingly marginal diet, McCandless had run up a sizable caloric deficit.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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