metallic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or consisting of metal.
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of the nature of or suggesting metal, as in luster, resonance, or hardness.
metallic green; a harsh metallic sound.
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Chemistry.
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(of a metal element) being in the free or uncombined state.
metallic iron.
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containing or yielding metal.
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noun
adjective
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of, concerned with, or consisting of metal or a metal
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suggestive of a metal
a metallic click
metallic lustre
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chem (of a metal element) existing in the free state rather than in combination
metallic copper
Other Word Forms
- intermetallic adjective
- metalleity noun
- metallically adverb
- metallicity noun
- multimetallic adjective
- semimetallic adjective
- unmetallic adjective
- unmetallically adverb
Etymology
Origin of metallic
1560–70; < Latin metallicus < Greek metallikós of, for mines. See metal, -ic
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.
Other indicators include materials formed only under extreme heat and pressure, including nanodiamonds, metallic spherules, and meltglass created when minerals melted and then rapidly cooled.
From Science Daily
The stubborn squash that won’t soften, the freezer-end chicken that smells faintly metallic, the limp carrot you almost tossed: time, heat and gentle attention coax them into flavor, texture and presence.
From Salon
Every muscle, every toenail, every metallic surface offers sharply focused detail.
This layer is also rich in platinum, iridium, metallic melt particles, shocked quartz, and fused minerals known as meltglass.
From Science Daily
Skeptics who had been perplexed by Mr. Gehry’s squirming metallic shapes suddenly found them perfectly comprehensible.
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.
