chemical
Americannoun
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a substance produced by or used in a chemical process.
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Slang. chemicals, narcotic or mind-altering drugs or substances.
adjective
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of, used in, produced by, or concerned with chemistry or chemicals.
a chemical formula; chemical agents.
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used in chemical warfare.
chemical weapons.
noun
adjective
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of or used in chemistry
chemical balance
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of, made from, or using chemicals
chemical fertilizer
Other Word Forms
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
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Chemical Reactions - Introductory
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"Handle with Care"
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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.
She says she is hopeful that it will be possible to improve the system's responsiveness to natural light, and also to trigger the energy release without requiring a toxic chemical.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Kwanghun Chung, an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT, is also an author.
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
All lithium batteries can uncontrollably heat and catch fire through a chemical chain reaction known as thermal runaway.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
Although the practice is still in the theoretical research stage, scientists have spent two decades studying the chemical compounds associated with the breakdown of the human body.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Herschel had little doubt that chemical, and, ultimately, biological phenomena, would also be attributed to such cause-and-effect mechanisms.
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.
