carbonaceous

American

[kahr-buh-ney-shuhs] / ˌkɑr bəˈneɪ ʃəs /

adjective

of, like, or containing carbon.

carbonaceous British

/ ˌkɑːbəˈneɪʃəs /

adjective

of, resembling, or containing carbon

"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

subcarbonaceous adjective

Etymology

Origin of carbonaceous

First recorded in 1785–95; carbon + -aceous

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.

To confidently identify such candidates, the researchers emphasize the importance of detailed chemical studies of carbonaceous chondrites combined with new sample return missions.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

Trigo-Rodríguez highlights that water rich carbonaceous asteroids may be especially attractive targets.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

The Winchcombe meteorite belongs to a rare class of rocks known as carbonaceous chondrites.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2024

What’s more, studies of light reflected from Psyche suggest it isn’t purely metal but probably contains some carbonaceous material, a typical asteroid ingredient, and rocky silicate minerals.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 13, 2023

In conclusion, I will remind you that our digestion is exercised on two sorts of food,—nitrogenous food and carbonaceous food.

From In Search of a Son by Walsh, William Shepard

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023