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ceramics

American  
[suh-ram-iks] / səˈræm ɪks /

noun

  1. (used with a singular verb) the art or technology of making objects of clay and similar materials treated by firing.

  2. (used with a plural verb) articles of earthenware, porcelain, etc.

ceramics British  
/ ˈsɛrəmɪst, sɪˈræmɪks /

noun

  1. (functioning as singular) the art and techniques of producing articles of clay, porcelain, etc

"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

  • ceramist noun

Etymology

Origin of ceramics

First recorded in 1855–60; ceramic, -ics

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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.

The energy supply crunch has also impacted India's ceramics and fertiliser industries, while the aviation industry is reportedly reeling under sky-rocketing jet fuel prices.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Blazing-hot kilns in India's $6.5 billion ceramics manufacturing hub employing hundreds of thousands of people have gone cold, shut down in an energy crunch caused by the Middle East war.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Images of seabirds, fish, and sprouting maize appear together on textiles, ceramics, pottery, wall carvings and paintings.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

Mr. Sherman long worked as a teacher of practical ceramics, but in retirement has committed himself to creating his own fine art and has only just begun to be exhibited.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Judging by carbon dating and the sequence of ceramics, they believe the site was inhabited in two waves, from about 360 b.c., when terra preta formation began, to as late as 1440 a.d.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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.