Newtonian

American

[noo-toh-nee-uhn, nyoo-] / nuˈtoʊ ni ən, nyu- /

adjective

of or relating to Sir Isaac Newton or to his theories or discoveries.

Newtonian physics.

Newtonian British

/ njuːˈtəʊnɪən /

adjective

of, relating to, or based on the theories of Sir Isaac Newton

"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

Other Word Forms

non-Newtonian adjective
post-Newtonian adjective
pre-Newtonian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Newtonian

First recorded in 1705–15; Newton + -ian

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.

This instrument is a Newtonian telescope connected to a UV-sensitive camera.

From Science Daily • Apr. 21, 2026

Monjo’s theory helps unify scientific concepts of Newtonian gravity with our knowledge of electromagnetism.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2024

One suggestion is modified Newtonian dynamics, or MOND.

From Scientific American • Oct. 25, 2023

In 1973, a young man named Uri Geller appeared on one of the BBC’s most popular television shows, “The Dimbleby Talk-In,” and announced that the laws of Newtonian physics did not apply to him.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2023

These cases differ from that, for example, of Newtonian physics.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023