nuclear
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or involving atomic weapons.
nuclear war.
-
operated or powered by atomic energy.
a nuclear submarine.
-
(of a nation or group of nations) having atomic weapons.
-
of, relating to, or forming a nucleus.
-
of, relating to, or like the nuclear family.
nuclear bonds.
noun
adjective
-
of, concerned with, or involving the nucleus of an atom
nuclear fission
-
biology of, relating to, or contained within the nucleus of a cell
a nuclear membrane
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of, relating to, forming, or resembling any other kind of nucleus
-
of, concerned with, or operated by energy from fission or fusion of atomic nuclei
a nuclear weapon
-
involving, concerned with, or possessing nuclear weapons
nuclear war
a nuclear strike
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Relating to or forming a cell nucleus.
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Relating to atomic nuclei.
-
Using energy derived from the nuclei of atoms through fission or fusion reactions.
Pronunciation
In pronouncing nuclear, the second and third syllables are most commonly said as , a sequence of sounds that directly reflects the spelled sequence ‑cle·ar. In recent years, a somewhat controversial pronunciation has come to public attention, with these two final syllables said as . Since , the common pronunciation of ‑cle·ar, might also be represented, broadly, as , the pronunciation can be seen as coming from a process of metathesis, in which the and the change places. The resulting pronunciation is reinforced by analogy with such words as molecular, particular, and muscular, and although it occurs with some frequency among highly educated speakers, including scientists, professors, and government officials, it is disapproved of by many.
Other Word Forms
- internuclear adjective
- multinuclear adjective
- postnuclear adjective
Etymology
Origin of nuclear
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.
A nuclear bunker is "just a few days" away from falling into the sea due to coastal erosion.
From BBC
Aside from the ongoing menace of nuclear annihilation, the biggest threat we’ve faced as a country was 9/11 when the country’s mainland was attacked by al-Qaeda.
From Salon
The two leaders championed the strategic significance of their trilateral relationship with the U.S., their common goal of seeing North Korea give up its nuclear weapons, supply-chain cooperation and other issues.
"It could be more concessions in the nuclear talks. It could be to stop the crackdown. It also could be to try to implement reforms that lead to… some sort of sanctions relief."
From BBC
Coal-fired and nuclear plants had a hard time competing after the shale boom unleashed abundant, inexpensive natural-gas supplies, and the cost of wind and solar projects plummeted.
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.
