Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

fissionable

American  
[fish-uh-nuh-buhl] / ˈfɪʃ ə nə bəl /

adjective

Physics.
  1. capable of or possessing a nucleus or nuclei capable of undergoing fission.

    a fissionable nucleus; fissionable material.


fissionable British  
/ ˈfɪʃənəbəl /

adjective

  1. capable of undergoing nuclear fission as a result of any process Compare fissile

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of fissionable

First recorded in 1940–45; fission + -able


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:

Reporter Martin Fackler, who said that entering post-storm Fukushima was “like entering hell,” breaks down, step by step, what occurs inside a nuclear reactor when power is lost and the fissionable material can’t be cooled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

Oppenheimer once called the atomic bomb “a weapon for aggressors” wherein “the elements of surprise and terror are as intrinsic to it as are the fissionable nuclei.”

From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2023

The uranium in these fuel particles is enriched to increase the level of the fissionable U-235 isotope above 15%.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2021

When the pieces came together, they created a supercritical mass of fissionable, explosive uranium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2020

The main problem, Ernest concluded, was the difficulty of tracking fissionable material in the Soviet Union to ensure that it was not finding its way into weapons.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com