-kinetic

¹

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

   bradykinetic.

kinetic

²

[ki-net-ik, kahy-]

adjective

1. pertaining to motion.

2. caused by motion.

3. characterized by movement.

   Running and dancing are kinetic activities.

kinetic

/ kaɪ-, kɪˈnɛtɪk /

adjective

1. relating to, characterized by, or caused by motion

Other Word Forms

• kinetically adverb
• nonkinetic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of -kinetic¹

< Greek kīnēt ( ós ) ( kineto- ) + -ic

Origin of -kinetic²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of -kinetic¹

C19: from Greek kinētikos, from kinein to move

Example Sentences

According to the authors, the kinetic energy associated with earthquakes can influence both the chemistry and the biological makeup of aquifer fluids.

Read more on Science Daily

In “Task”—a kinetic journey into a disregarded America, low-rent organized crime and justice wrested from madness—Mark Ruffalo was an ex-priest turned FBI agent, which was not even close to preposterous as handled by creator-writer Brad Ingelsby.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“But they are trying to use that now to create a lethal kinetic justification, which is not what that designation is for and has never been done before,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who represents District 13, is pushing for regulations that would prohibit the Los Angeles Police Department from using “kinetic energy projectiles” or “chemical agents” unless officers are threatened with physical violence.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jacob Elordi’s yearning creature breaks spines and hearts in a violent, kinetic adaptation that co-stars Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• animated 
• lively 
• peppy 

When To Use

What does -kinetic mean?

The combining form -kinetic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to movement.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in pathology.The form -kinetic comes from Greek kīnēt(ós), meaning “moving,” from the verb kīneîn, “to move.” The Latin cognate of kīneîn is ciēre (stem cit-), meaning “to move, set in motion,” which is the source of words such as cite and resuscitate. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.What are variants of -kinetic?While there are not any variants of -kinetic, it is related to the forms -kinesis and -kinesia, as in telekinesis and hyperkinesia. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles about these two forms.