physical science

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Definition of physical science

noun

any of the natural sciences dealing with inanimate matter or with energy, as physics, chemistry, and astronomy.

these sciences collectively.

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Origin of physical science

First recorded in 1835–45

OTHER WORDS FROM physical science

physical scientist, noun

Words nearby physical science

physical meteorology, physical mixture, physical optics, physical pendulum, physicals, physical science, physical sign, physical therapy, physician, Physician, heal thyself, physician's assistant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use physical science in a sentence

To count the number of urban residents exposed to extreme heat, we used data and models that incorporate advances in both social and physical sciences.
Extreme heat days have tripled in cities over the past 40 years|Tuholske et al./The Conversation|October 6, 2021|Popular-Science
This critical question reaches beyond physical sciences into economics, sociology, and even psychology.
How bad will climate change get?|Umair Irfan|September 10, 2021|Vox
From 2017 to 2019, they constituted nearly three-quarters of all health care workers, but were outnumbered by men in the physical sciences, computing and engineering.
STEM’s racial, ethnic and gender gaps are still strikingly large|Maria Temming|April 14, 2021|Science News
In the United States, only one in three bachelor’s degrees in physical sciences, engineering, and computing go to women, and fewer than one in five doctoral degrees in those fields.
The Problem with a New Study on Mentorship in Science - Facts So Romantic|Aubrey Clayton|December 2, 2020|Nautilus

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Citizens, perhaps, need to feel like they can communicate something to science.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
“I heard Jeffrey was interested in supporting science and I contacted him,” Krauss said.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“We talked about the science the whole time the other day,” Krauss told The Daily Beast in a phone interview.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Also, she was tall and thin, too, further adding to the ways she met the physical beauty conventions.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As the weeks wore on, the pretence of practical teaching was quietly dropped, and we crammed our science out of the text-book.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
I cannot see in science, nor in experience, nor in history any signs of such a God, nor of such intervention.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The foreman's immense voice, explaining machines and tools, caused physical vibrations in her.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
The two enjoyed a mutual understanding from which he was excluded, a private intimacy that was spiritual, mental,— physical.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Its continued presence in pulmonary tuberculosis is, however, a grave prognostic sign, even when the physical signs are slight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for physical science

physical science

noun

any of the sciences concerned with nonliving matter, energy, and the physical properties of the universe, such as physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geologyCompare life science

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

Scientific definitions for physical science

physical science

Any of several branches of science, such as physics, chemistry, and astronomy, that study the nature and properties of energy and nonliving matter. Compare life science.