nuclear
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or involving atomic weapons.
nuclear war.
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operated or powered by atomic energy.
a nuclear submarine.
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(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
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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
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of, concerned with, or operated by energy from fission or fusion of atomic nuclei
a nuclear weapon
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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.
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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.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran was open to nuclear discussions but that the U.S. needed to stop issuing military threats.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said earlier that the country's missile defence systems would "never" be on the negotiating table, and repeated the government's position that its nuclear programme was peaceful.
From BBC
A large shipment of uranium -- the source of a dispute with French nuclear giant Orano -- has been stored at the airport for several weeks.
From Barron's
New START, which limits the U.S. and Russia to 1,550 nuclear warheads, is set to expire on Feb. 5.
Pearcey, who has doctorate in nuclear physics, has been a prominent local campaigner.
From BBC
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.
