petrochemical

American  

[pe-troh-kem-i-kuhl] / ˌpɛ troʊˈkɛm ɪ kəl /

noun

1. a chemical substance obtained from petroleum or natural gas, as gasoline, kerosene, or petrolatum.

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adjective

1. of or relating to petrochemistry or a petrochemical.

petrochemical British  

/ ˌpɛtrəʊˈkɛmɪkəl /

noun

1. any substance, such as acetone or ethanol, obtained from petroleum or natural gas

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adjective

1. of, concerned with, or obtained from petrochemicals or related to petrochemistry

petrochemical Scientific  

/ pĕt′rō-kĕm′ĭ-kəl /

1. Any of a large number of chemicals made from petroleum or natural gas. Important petrochemicals include benzene, ammonia, acetylene, and polystyrene. Petrochemicals are used to produce a wide variety of materials, such as plastics, explosives, fertilizers, and synthetic fibers.

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petrochemical Cultural  

1. Any material made from substances found in oil or natural gas. Most plastics are petrochemicals.

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Other Word Forms

• petrochemically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of petrochemical

First recorded in 1910–15; petro- ² + chemical

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

petrochemical

Billionaire Ratcliffe, who is one of Britain's richest people and founder of petrochemical giant Ineos, made the comments in an interview with the BBC on Saturday.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“More persistence in energy and petrochemical prices could raise near-term inflation risks, impact price-setting behavior, and lead to more sticky inflation over the medium term,” the committee said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

His wife, Fan Hongwei, who chairs the petrochemical and refining business, has a net worth of over $5 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Beyond exports to Europe, it is intended to supply natural gas to countries that currently rely on expensive imported fuels, potentially supporting new power generation, fertiliser plants, petrochemical industries and manufacturing along the Atlantic coast.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

All day long she sat over a hole in the ground, the omphalos, the navel of the earth, breathing petrochemical fumes escaping from underneath.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides