chemistry
Americannoun
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the science that deals with the composition and properties of substances and various elementary forms of matter.
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chemical properties, reactions, phenomena, etc..
the chemistry of carbon.
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the interaction of one personality with another.
The chemistry between him and his boss was all wrong.
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sympathetic understanding; rapport.
the astonishing chemistry between the actors.
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any or all of the elements that make up something.
the chemistry of love.
noun
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the branch of physical science concerned with the composition, properties, and reactions of substances See also inorganic chemistry organic chemistry physical chemistry
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the composition, properties, and reactions of a particular substance
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the nature and effects of any complex phenomenon
the chemistry of humour
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informal a reaction, taken to be instinctual, between two persons
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The scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of the chemical elements and the compounds they form.
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The composition, structure, properties, and reactions of a substance.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of chemistry
First recorded in 1590–1600; chemist + -ry; replacing earlier chymistry, chimistry
Explanation
Chemistry is the science that tells us what things and people are made of; for example, that water is really H2O, two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Chemistry deals with chemicals and elements, the building blocks of our world. The periodic table, that table of all of earth's basic elements — iron, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc. — comes from chemistry. Chemistry explains how atoms attract each other to become molecules. We also use the term to refer to people who are attracted to each other, either as colleagues, friends or romantic partners. Movie reviewers often say that that romantic leads have "great chemistry" — or not.
Vocabulary lists containing chemistry
English Words Derived from Arabic
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Chemistry - Introductory
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Chemistry - High 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.
See Examples For:
The difference is important because scientists are drawn to Europa by the combination of liquid water, chemistry and energy, which are all essential factors when evaluating whether an environment could support life.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
The difference is that the Obamas appear to like each other and, especially in the early years of his presidency, had palpable chemistry that induced romantic fantasies.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Whether leaning into the longstanding chemistry of the duo, who won the FA Youth Cup together at Manchester City in 2020, will bear fruit remains to be seen.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Their chemistry makes the emotional devastation of this tragedy that much more real: Every main actor sheds a real tear over the course of the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
A man with thin blond hair named Dr. Walter König would teach them general chemistry and how explosives worked.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Material has already 3-D-printed test battery cells in the lab, using a variety of ingredients, to prove the tech works with different chemistries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
There are hundreds of steel chemistries processed dozens of ways to make products suitable for cars, cans, and buildings.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
Meanwhile, battery safety is improving all the time, with newer systems equipped with improved suppression systems and more fire-resistant battery chemistries.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
Electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy are then used to reveal the nanoplastics' shapes and chemistries.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2024
But compared with cows’ bodies, ours offer different immune defenses, lice, feces, and chemistries.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
