ceramic

American  

[suh-ram-ik] / səˈræm ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to products made from clay and similar materials, as pottery and brick, or to their manufacture.

   ceramic art.

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noun

1. ceramic material.

ceramic British  

/ sɪˈræmɪk /

noun

1. a hard brittle material made by firing clay and similar substances

2. an object made from such a material

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or made from a ceramic

   this vase is ceramic

2. of or relating to ceramics

   ceramic arts and crafts

ceramic Scientific  

/ sə-răm′ĭk /

1. Any of various hard, brittle, heat- and corrosion-resistant materials made typically of metallic elements combined with oxygen or with carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur. Most ceramics are crystalline and are poor conductors of electricity, though some recently discovered copper-oxide ceramics are superconductors at low temperatures.

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Etymology

Origin of ceramic

1840–50; variant of keramic < Greek keramikós, equivalent to kéram ( os ) potters' clay + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Something that's ceramic is made out of clay and baked in a kiln until it's very hard. If you sign up for a pottery class, you will almost certainly make ceramic bowls. Ceramics, also known as pottery, describes any dishes or other items made from hardened clay. You might have ceramic tile in your bathroom or kitchen, or a beautiful ceramic vase on your mantle. If you're an artist who makes clay sculptures, your art form itself is also ceramics. The word comes from the Greek keramos, "potter's earth."

Example Sentences

For only the second time, a ban on gnomes has been lifted this year by the Royal Horticultural Society, an opportunity that seemed to have been grasped by gardeners with both tiny ceramic hands.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

The ceramic tiles on the spacecraft's upper backshell also met expectations.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

Sculptor Maddy Inez, granddaughter of Betye Saar, crafts a series of ceramic vessels — each an ode to different plants brought over during the transatlantic slave trade — reframing gardening as an act of resistance.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

I keep a small ceramic salt dish by the stove, within easy reach — not tucked away in a cabinet, not measured out in careful teaspoons, but right there, open.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Katz wanted every detail of my walk home, and had elaborate plans for his defense involving a heavy ceramic lamp base and, ultimately, escape out the back window.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• brick
• earthenware
• porcelain
• stoneware
• tile