chemistry

American  

[kem-uh-stree] / ˈkɛm ə stri /

noun

• chemistries
  plural

1. the science that deals with the composition and properties of substances and various elementary forms of matter.

2. chemical properties, reactions, phenomena, etc..

   the chemistry of carbon.

3. the interaction of one personality with another.

   The chemistry between him and his boss was all wrong.

4. sympathetic understanding; rapport.

   the astonishing chemistry between the actors.

5. any or all of the elements that make up something.

   the chemistry of love.

---

chemistry British  

/ ˈkɛmɪstrɪ /

noun

1. the branch of physical science concerned with the composition, properties, and reactions of substances See also inorganic chemistry organic chemistry physical chemistry

2. the composition, properties, and reactions of a particular substance

3. the nature and effects of any complex phenomenon

   the chemistry of humour

4. informal a reaction, taken to be instinctual, between two persons

---

chemistry Scientific  

/ kĕm′ĭ-strē /

1. The scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of the chemical elements and the compounds they form.

2. The composition, structure, properties, and reactions of a substance.

---

chemistry Cultural  

1. The study of the composition, properties, and reactions of matter, particularly at the level of atoms and molecules.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chemistries
  plural

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chemistry chemistries

Because the Ryugu samples were collected directly in space and protected from Earth’s contamination, they provide one of the clearest views of ancient Solar System chemistry.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

Another prominent figure on the Student List, is Radomir Saičić, a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Belgrade.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The batteries are made by a South Korean company, LG Energy Solution, and use a less expensive chemistry known as LFP that relies on iron.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Despite his closeness to the Bolsonaros, Trump has also shown an uncanny fondness for Lula, saying that despite turbulent trade relations, he and the veteran leftist, both 80, have "excellent chemistry."

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

I want to tell her that cooking is basically chemistry, which is a kind of science.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

To compete, we have to move beyond lithium-based batteries to novel chemistries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 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

However, they can handle more frequent fast-charging than other battery chemistries.

From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2024

It had a lot of things in it he couldn’t identify: flowers, chemistries, dusts, winds.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• appeal
• beauty
• charisma
• glamour
• grace
• magic

---