molecular
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of or relating to molecules
molecular hydrogen
-
logic (of a sentence, formula, etc) capable of analysis into atomic formulae of the appropriate kind
Other Word Forms
- molecularity noun
- molecularly adverb
- multimolecular adjective
- nonmolecular adjective
- submolecular adjective
Etymology
Origin of molecular
Compare meaning
How does molecular compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the adjective molecular to describe something that has to do with or is made up of molecules. If you're studying molecular biology, you're focusing on the molecules that make up living things. When a scientist studies things on a molecular level, she's looking at them up close, examining their cells. The adjective molecular comes up most often in biology and chemistry, and it always describes the very smallest units that make up organisms or elements. Molecular comes from the noun molecule, which means "extremely minute particle," from the Latin molecula, "tiny mass."
Vocabulary lists containing molecular
1.7.B Using Ice to Keep Orange Groves Warm
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Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat
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Silent to the Bone
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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.
The machine, a cascade of gold and silver-coloured cylinders descending through a cloud of wires, is a cryostat, a device that cools so much it slows activity even at the molecular level.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
By using nanodiscs as molecular "bait," scientists can isolate immune cells that respond to specific viral proteins.
From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026
Many are on the cutting edge of molecular biology.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
When Novartis scientists published a paper in July 2024 for one of the most promising new classes of drugs, called molecular glue, Chinese drug scouts took notice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Perhaps there is some major and as yet undiscovered atmospheric constituent—nitrogen, for example—which keeps the average molecular weight of the atmosphere high and prevents blowoff.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
