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subatomic

[suhb-uh-tom-ik]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subatomic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Physics.

of or relating to a process that occurs within an atom.
noting or pertaining to a particle or particles contained in an atom, as electrons, protons, or neutrons.

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RELATED WORDS

atomic, infinitesimal, little, minute

Nearby words

  1. subassembly,
  2. subastral,
  3. subastringent,
  4. subatmospheric,
  5. subatom,
  6. subatomic particle,
  7. subatomic particles,
  8. subaudition,
  9. subauricular,
  10. subaxial

Origin of subatomic

First recorded in 1900–05; sub- + atomic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subatomic

British Dictionary definitions for subatomic

subatomic

adjective

of, relating to, or being a particle making up an atom or a process occurring within atomsthe electron is a subatomic particle
having dimensions smaller than atomic dimensions
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
Word Origin and History for subatomic

subatomic

adj.

1903, from sub-atom (1880), from sub- + atomic.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for subatomic

subatomic

[sŭb′ə-tŏm′ĭk]

adj.

Of or relating to the constituents of the atom.
Having dimensions or participating in reactions characteristic of the constituents of the atom.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Culture definitions for subatomic

subatomic

A descriptive term for objects and events within the atom.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.