chemical
Americannoun
-
a substance produced by or used in a chemical process.
-
Slang. chemicals, narcotic or mind-altering drugs or substances.
adjective
-
of, used in, produced by, or concerned with chemistry or chemicals.
a chemical formula; chemical agents.
-
used in chemical warfare.
chemical weapons.
noun
adjective
-
of or used in chemistry
chemical balance
-
of, made from, or using chemicals
chemical fertilizer
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonchemicaladjective
-
prechemicaladjective
-
pseudochemicaladjective
-
semichemicaladjective
-
superchemicaladjective
-
unchemicaladjective
-
chemicallyadverb
-
semichemicallyadverb
-
superchemicallyadverb
-
unchemicallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chemical
Explanation
A chemical is any mix of raw elements: hydrogen + oxygen produce the chemical water. Water is created by a change in the chemistry of hydrogen and oxygen atoms — a chemical change. Be cautious of the negative reaction people have to chemical substances. Chemicals often bring to mind deadly substances, such as asbestos or deadly chemical weapons. But many chemicals are part of our everyday life. Our lives would be drastically different without chemical compounds — think of the infection that would result if we didn't have the chemical hydrogen peroxide for cleaning out cuts.
Vocabulary lists containing chemical
Matter and Energy 1: Atoms and Molecules
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chemical Reactions - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Handle with Care"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Our achievements include last week’s landmark multistate settlement to address forever chemical pollution and a $100 million penalty secured at trial for industrial air pollution near Detroit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
Crofter Calum Beaton has found chemical toilet waste dumped in his household bin, and human excrement left on the land he farms.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
The crisis started after officials responded to GKN’s Garden Grove facility on May 21 and soon realized a volatile chemical tank was at risk of exploding or causing a major spill.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2026
When the geological evidence, chemical data, and modern seafloor observations were considered together, the researchers concluded they had identified chemosynthetic wrinkle structures preserved in the rock record.
From Science Daily • Jun. 26, 2026
Yet another specified an enzyme to break those chemical parts into subparts.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
