chemistry
Americannoun
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chemistries
plural
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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:
Asked to define the magic of their chemistry, Edwards said it was not instantaneous.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
“A lot of new bodies. Fortunately he had spring and all summer with all these guys to start developing that chemistry and that confidence,” Riley said of Maiava.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
A lot of front-line soldiering has to do with individual will and attitude, not body chemistry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The on-screen chemistry was clear from the start and the film received good reviews but the pair denied rumours of a romance, insisting they were just close friends while promoting the movie.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
He usually does missionary work in other countries during the summer, but in May he twisted his ankle during a Spartan Race, so he’s keeping busy teaching us chemistry.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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
Some slower-curing material chemistries can offer improved performance over acrylates, such as greater elasticity, durability, or longevity.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2023
It had a lot of things in it he couldn’t identify: flowers, chemistries, dusts, winds.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
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.
