any of a class of substances occurring in nature, usually comprising inorganic substances, as quartz or feldspar, of definite chemical composition and usually of definite crystal structure, but sometimes also including rocks formed by these substances as well as certain natural products of organic origin, as asphalt or coal.
a substance obtained by mining, as ore.
(loosely) any substance that is neither animal nor vegetable.
British. minerals, mineral water.
Nutrition. any of the inorganic elements, as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, or sodium, that are essential to the functioning of the human body and are obtained from foods.
of the nature of a mineral; pertaining to a mineral or minerals.
containing or impregnated with a mineral or minerals.
neither animal nor vegetable; inorganic.
mineral matter.
mineralogical.
mineralogy.
any of a class of naturally occurring solid inorganic substances with a characteristic crystalline form and a homogeneous chemical composition
any inorganic matter
any substance obtained by mining, esp a metal ore
(often plural) short for mineral water
Usual US word: soda. a soft drink containing carbonated water and flavourings
A naturally occurring, solid, inorganic element or compound having a uniform composition and a regularly repeating internal structure. Minerals typically have a characteristic hardness and color, or range of colors, by which they can be recognized. Rocks are made up of minerals.
A natural substance of commercial value, such as iron ore, coal, or petroleum, that is obtained by mining, quarrying, or drilling.
Rocks are aggregates of minerals.
Most minerals are crystals, like salt and diamonds.
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, Old French mineral, from Medieval Latin minerāle (noun), minerālis (adjective), from miner(a) “mine, ore,” (from Vulgar Latin mināria (unrecorded); equivalent to mine 2 + -ary ) + -āle, -ālis -al 1
A mineral is a nonliving natural substance of a definite chemical composition. A mineral like manganese may help keep you healthy; a mineral like a diamond may help keep you sparkly. At one time mineral referred to valuable substances obtained in mines. Although that still can be the case, today the word has several senses (both noun and adjective) and may be found almost anywhere — in the ground, in the air, or on the periodic table. And if you remember mineral when you remember animal and vegetable, you’ve got a better chance of winning Twenty Questions.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The site employs local contractors and businesses and pays royalties to over 3,000 people who own mineral rights, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
He’d injured his wrist, and his physicians advised him to visit the region’s mineral waters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Burkina Faso has opened its first gold refinery as the military-led government seeks to process more of the country's mineral wealth at home and tighten its control over one of its most important industries.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
They are from drill holes bored hundreds of metres below the surface by mineral exploration companies decades ago.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
When years before they had first come to the people living on the Cebolleta land grant, they had not said what kind of mineral it was.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
“And you know what an animal is — it’s not a vegetable or a mineral. It’s a body, and you know what I’m talking about.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2023
The discovery broadens the known variety of magnetic minerals found in lunar samples.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
These veins contain minerals including calcium sulfate and fluorite.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
There was no mention of increasing exports of China's rare earth minerals to the US nor was there any indication that restrictions on advanced US semiconductors would be eased.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on specific transactions, but said the department’s “priority is securing the end-to-end supply chain for minerals critical to national security.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Then the other campers found out he wrote home every day, and that he liked poetry and looking for minerals.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
