ceramics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the art or technology of making objects of clay and similar materials treated by firing.
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(used with a plural verb) articles of earthenware, porcelain, etc.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ceramics
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How does ceramics compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The branch of art known as ceramics is all about making pottery. A ceramics class might teach you to make a bowl from clay using a pottery wheel. In ceramics, artists pinch cups and figures from clay, and create bowls, plates, and pots by spinning and shaping the clay on a wheel. Most of these items — which can also be called ceramics — are glazed or painted, and baked in an extremely hot oven. The word ceramics comes from the Greek word keramos, "potter's clay," or "tiles."
Vocabulary lists containing ceramics
Visual Arts - Introductory
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Visual Arts - High School
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Visual Arts - Middle School
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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.
Gas is responsible for 90% of energy consumption in ceramics, the report added, meaning previously announced government support on electricity bills would only provide "minimal relief".
From BBC • May 21, 2026
The research made clear that ceramics was a vital component for industries such as aerospace, defence, clean energy and electronics.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Like with most things, she says, she made ceramics her own.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
In a presentation to investors at the end of April, Toto pledged to make its ceramics line a “core business,” after urging from the U.K.-based activist Palliser Capital earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Kim nodded along with those in the little audience; inlay work was common enough in other arts, but no one there had ever seen it used in ceramics before.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
