Chernobyl

American  

[chur-noh-buhl, chyir-naw-bil] / tʃɜrˈnoʊ bəl, tʃjɪrˈnɔ bɪl /

noun

1. a city in northern Ukraine, 80 miles (129 km) northwest of Kyiv: nuclear-plant accident 1986.

---

Chernobyl British  

/ -ˈnɒbəl, tʃɜːˈnəʊbəl /

noun

1. a town in N Ukraine; site of a nuclear power station accident in 1986

---

Chernobyl Cultural  

1. A place in Ukraine where a nuclear power plant — a generator powered by a nuclear reactor — underwent a meltdown in 1986. A cloud of radioactive gases spread throughout the region of Chernobyl and to foreign countries as well. Forty thousand people living nearby were evacuated. Dozens of deaths and hundreds of illnesses were reported to have been caused by the accident. (Compare Three Mile Island (see also Three Mile Island).)

---

Compare meaning

How does chernobyl compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Chernobyl vs. Three Mile Island

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Chernobyl

Non-military targets such as the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv's historic district and the National Art Museum of Ukraine were damaged or destroyed.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

Their apparent beef, which has been speculated about by very online people and, weirdly, business reporters, is now “Weekend Update” fodder, with the women comparing their fight to a “literal Chernobyl for white women.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

Nuclear energy fell into crisis after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, which reinforced fears highlighted by the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe.

From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026

There’s a scene from the Salomon Brothers trading floor in “Liar’s Poker” when author Michael Lewis’s phone rang minutes after news broke of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

A little moistness in her eyes the only sign of the Chernobyl in her lungs.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides