tungsten

American  

[tuhng-stuhn] / ˈtʌŋ stən /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare, metallic element having a bright-gray color, a metallic luster, and a high melting point, 3410° C, and found in wolframite, tungstite, and other minerals: used in alloys of high-speed cutting tools, electric-lamp filaments, etc. W; 183.85; 74; 19.3.

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tungsten British  

/ ˈtʌŋstən /

noun

1. Also called: wolfram.  a hard malleable ductile greyish-white element. It occurs principally in wolframite and scheelite and is used in lamp filaments, electrical contact points, X-ray targets, and, alloyed with steel, in high-speed cutting tools. Symbol: W; atomic no: 74; atomic wt: 183.85; valency: 2–6; relative density: 19.3; melting pt: 3422±20°C; boiling pt: 5555°C

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tungsten Scientific  

/ tŭng′stən /

1. A hard, gray to white metallic element that is very resistant to corrosion. It has the highest melting point of all elements, and it retains its strength at high temperatures. It is used to make light-bulb filaments and to increase the hardness and strength of steel. Atomic number 74; atomic weight 183.84; melting point 3,410°C; boiling point 5,900°C; specific gravity 19.3 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

2. Also called wolfram

3. See Periodic Table

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Other Word Forms

• tungstenic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tungsten

1760–70; < Swedish, equivalent to tung heavy + sten stone

Example Sentences

The rise in prices of tungsten, a key component in electronics and aerospace, since February 2025.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

Then there’s the tiny and obscure tungsten, a crucial material for robotics, EVs, semis and defense.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

Almonty Industries AII -0.32%decrease; red down pointing triangle , a North American company that mines tungsten in Europe and South Korea, picked up two retired American generals last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

According to Sinhara Perera, a chemical engineering PhD student in Porosoff's lab, one of the main challenges lies in how tungsten carbide atoms arrange themselves.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026

He broke open the vacuum chamber and pulled off the tungsten grids by hand.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik