chemical

American  

[kem-i-kuhl] / ˈkɛm ɪ kəl /

noun

• chemicals
  plural

1. a substance produced by or used in a chemical process.

2. Slang. chemicals, narcotic or mind-altering drugs or substances.

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adjective

1. of, used in, produced by, or concerned with chemistry or chemicals.

   a chemical formula; chemical agents.

2. used in chemical warfare.

   chemical weapons.

chemical British  

/ ˈkɛmɪkəl /

noun

1. any substance used in or resulting from a reaction involving changes to atoms or molecules, especially one derived artificially for practical use

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adjective

1. of or used in chemistry

   chemical balance

2. of, made from, or using chemicals

   chemical fertilizer

chemical Scientific  

/ kĕm′ĭ-kəl /

1. Relating to or produced by means of chemistry.

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1. A substance having a specific molecular composition, obtained by or used in a chemical process.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonchemical
  adjective
• prechemical
  adjective
• pseudochemical
  adjective
• semichemical
  adjective
• superchemical
  adjective
• unchemical
  adjective
• chemically
  adverb
• semichemically
  adverb
• superchemically
  adverb
• unchemically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chemicals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of chemical

1570–80; chemic + -al ¹; replacing chimical chemic

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chemical chemicals

Startups are designing plants that glow or turn purple when disease or pests strike, empowering farmers to act quickly without widespread chemical use.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

These proteins are needed for nearly everything cells do, from maintaining their structure to carrying out essential chemical reactions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Jack Weis has applied to more than 2,300 jobs since he graduated from Princeton in 2024 with his Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

T cells navigate through the body by following chemical signals known as chemokines.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

“Redness,” the physical trait, in contrast, was the consequence of a chemical pigment in the eye.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Turns out that the dopamine chamber … it’s where they put rats to test different chemicals or in order to check their dopamine levels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Creosote-soaked rail ties leach toxic chemicals into the soil, sharp scraps of metal litter the riverbed, and pollution remains from the timber industry the rail line once served.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

However, there is a strong case for this as there are multiple ways exercise might support the brain: improving cardiovascular health, increasing blood flow and boosting chemicals that promote brain-cell connections.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

Stopping issues such as herbicide drift, where farmers spray chemicals onto their land and through wind it moves miles away and damages other crops, would be another advantage, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

How it sucked those toxic chemicals straight out of the earth and churned them into beauty.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

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Related Words

• synthetic

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