chemistry
Americannoun
plural
chemistries-
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.
Etymology
Origin of chemistry
First recorded in 1590–1600; chemist + -ry; replacing earlier chymistry, chimistry
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.
“We haven’t fought the root cause,” the chemistry major said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
How do you know when a cast’s chemistry is working?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
These differences show that Bennu's chemistry varies significantly from place to place, even at extremely small scales.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
Next he turned to AlphaFold, a scientific AI model that won 2024's chemistry Nobel, to better understand one of the mutated doggy genes.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
But as chemistry developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, people began to look back on Boyle’s book as a turning point.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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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.