crystalline
Americanadjective
-
of or like crystal; clear; transparent.
-
formed by crystallization.
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composed of crystals.
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pertaining to crystals or their formation.
adjective
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having the characteristics or structure of crystals
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consisting of or containing crystals
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made of or like crystal; transparent; clear
Other Word Forms
- crystallinity noun
- multicrystalline adjective
- noncrystalline adjective
- precrystalline adjective
- pseudocrystalline adjective
- subcrystalline adjective
- uncrystalline adjective
Etymology
Origin of crystalline
1350–1400; Middle English cristal ( l ) yn ( e ) < Latin crystallinus < Greek krystállinos. See crystal, -ine 1
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.
L.A.’s smog changed just about everything around us — even the crystalline light that the Chamber of Commerce bragged about, that enticed people to come here.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
That sharp crystalline hit against the fudgy crumb makes the chocolate taste deeper.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026
But he learned to master this new machine that could achieve insane speeds and execute hairpin turns while taking crystalline video.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
This level of control allows, in principle, the creation of three dimensional devices from nearly any crystalline material.
From Science Daily • Jan. 25, 2026
Wilkerson not only rectifies the world’s ignorance about the Great Migration, but with twelve hundred interviews and crystalline prose she makes us understand it in its full human reality.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
