electronic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to electronics or to devices, circuits, or systems developed through electronics.
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of or relating to electrons or to an electron.
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(of a musical instrument) using electric or electronic means to produce or modify the sound.
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of, relating to, or controlled by computers or computerized systems: an electronic document.
electronic voting;
an electronic document.
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of or noting computerized products, services, or technologies: electronic banking.
online electronic dictionaries;
electronic banking.
adjective
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of, concerned with, using, or operated by devices in which electrons are conducted through a semiconductor, free space, or gas
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of or concerned with electronics
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of or concerned with electrons or an electron
an electronic energy level in a molecule
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involving or concerned with the representation, storage, or transmission of information by electronic systems
electronic mail
electronic shopping
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Relating to electrical devices that amplify and process electrical signals. Audio amplifiers, radios, and digital circuitry are electronic devices.
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◆ The scientific study of the behavior and design of electronic devices and circuits is called electronics.
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Compare electric
Usage
Electronic is used to refer to equipment, such as television sets, computers, etc, in which the current is controlled by transistors, valves, and similar components and also to the components themselves. Electrical is used in a more general sense, often to refer to the use of electricity as a whole as opposed to other forms of energy: electrical engineering; an electrical appliance. Electric, in many cases used interchangeably with electrical, is often restricted to the description of particular devices or to concepts relating to the flow of current: electric fire; electric charge
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of electronic
Explanation
Electronic things work because of electricity that's transmitted using tiny parts. The keyboard you play in your band is electronic, and so is the calculator you use in math class. The adjective electronic describes machines and devices that require electrical currents to run, and that use microchips and transistors to direct that current. There are electronic parts in many areas of our lives — cars use electronic devices, and so do computers, radios, televisions, and cell phones. Electronic instruments like synthesizers have lead to an entire genre of music that's also known as electronic. The word itself was first used in the 1930's to mean "pertaining to electrons."
Vocabulary lists containing electronic
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Engineering - Introductory
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Introduction to Nonfiction
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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.
It says the government must get an order authorizing electronic surveillance through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court under Title 1 or “a warrant issued pursuant to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure by a court.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
The bill also narrows the list of electronic communications service providers who provide data access to exclude those related to “places of worship, educational institutions . . . and entertainment venues.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
"However, what we find is a topologically interesting band structure with numerous crossings and nodes that dominate its low-energy electronic behavior. This completely changes our current understanding of the fundamental properties of this elemental material."
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
Ukrainian operators said it was knocked off course by Russian electronic interference.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
He had some kind of handheld electronic device with which he was taking mysterious readings of the sky or landscape.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
