kinetic

[ ki-net-ik, kahy- ]

/ kɪˈnɛt ɪk, kaɪ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR kinetic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to motion.

caused by motion.

characterized by movement: Running and dancing are kinetic activities.

Nearby words

Origin of kinetic

1850–55; < Greek kīnētikós moving, equivalent to kīnē- (verbid stem of kīneîn to move) + -tikos -tic

Related formski·net·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·ki·net·ic, adjective

-kinetic

a combining form found on adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -kinesia or -kinesis: bradykinetic.

Origin of -kinetic

< Greek kīnēt(ós) (see kineto-) + -ic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kinetic

What looks like filthy chaos at the moment is actually the kinetic energy that gives birth to modern metropolises.
Great Cities are Born Filthy|Will Doig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a kinetic energy, a vibrancy that leapt off the screen that did, indeed, dazzle.
‘American Hustle’ Is Overrated|Kevin Fallon|January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later, in 1996, Perry turned a quick $38,000 profit thanks to a fortuitously timed investment in Kinetic Concepts stock.
Perry’s Controversial Money Man|Michelle Goldberg|September 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It is an impressive film: crisp, beautiful, kinetic, with humor as dark as its lighting.
The Social Network's Female Props|Rebecca Davis O'Brien|October 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST

And yet, think you the partisans of the kinetic theory are adversaries of determinism?
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
These results again agree well with the values given by the kinetic theory of gases.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 8|Various
With all the enthusiasm and energy of his kinetic personality, he went 37 about laying the foundations for the new society.
Christianity and Problems of To-day: Lectures Delivered Before Lake Forest College on the Foundation of the Late William Bross|John Huston Finley
The kinetic energy of these is deducted from the general energy of translation, and practically wasted.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 1|Various
As it descends, the potential energy decreases, but the kinetic energy increases.
Aether and Gravitation|William George Hooper

British Dictionary definitions for kinetic

kinetic

/ (kɪˈnɛtɪk, kaɪ-) /

adjective

relating to, characterized by, or caused by motion

Derived Formskinetically, adverb

Word Origin for kinetic

C19: from Greek kinētikos, from kinein to move

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

Word Origin and History for kinetic

kinetic

adj.

"relating to motion," 1841, from Greek kinetikos "moving, putting in motion," from kinetos "moved," verbal adjective of kinein "to move" (see cite).

Buster Keaton's subject was kinetic man, a being he approached with the almost metaphysical awe we reserve for a Doppelgänger. This being was, eerily, himself, played by himself, then later in a projection room, watched by himself: an experience never possible to any generation of actors in the previous history of the world. [Hugh Kenner, "The Counterfeiters," 1968]

Related: Kinetical; kinetically.

Medicine definitions for kinetic

kinetic

[ kə-nĕt′ĭk, kī- ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or produced by motion.

kinetic

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of kinetic

-kinetic

Origin of -kinetic

Examples from the Web for kinetic

kinetic

adjective

Word Origin for kinetic

kinetic

kinetic

adj.