Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for fissionable. Search instead for fissionabilities.
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

  • fissionability noun
  • nonfissionable adjective

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.

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

There were also four possible approaches for separating fissionable U-235 from natural ore.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik