chemical

1 of 2

adjective

chem·​i·​cal ˈke-mi-kəl How to pronounce chemical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, used in, or produced by chemistry or the phenomena of chemistry
chemical reactions
2
a
: acting or operated or produced by chemicals
a chemical fire extinguisher
b
: detectable by chemical means
chemically adverb

chemical

2 of 2

noun

1
: a substance obtained by a chemical process or producing a chemical effect
2

Examples of chemical in a Sentence

Adjective They studied the compound's chemical structure.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
In a study published on November 14th in Geochemical Perspective Letters, the experts explained that isotopic dating and analysis provides chemical evidence that the Lafayette Meteorite mostly likely interacted with liquid water while the rock first formed roughly 742 million years ago. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024 He was first elected in 2023 and is an operations manager for The Lubrizol Corporation, a chemical company. Hannah Pinski, The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
DuPont de Nemours — Stock in the chemicals company gained more than 6% after third-quarter earnings beat Wall Street estimates. Brian Evans, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024 Its naturally non-stick surface doesn't rely on harmful chemicals often found in nonstick coatings. Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chemical 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

chemic or its source, Medieval Latin chimicus + -al entry 1

Noun

derivative of chemical entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1739, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chemical was in 1576

Dictionary Entries Near chemical

Cite this Entry

“Chemical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chemical. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

chemical

1 of 2 adjective
chem·​i·​cal ˈkem-i-kəl How to pronounce chemical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, used in, or produced by chemistry
2
: acting or operated or produced by chemicals
chemically adverb

chemical

2 of 2 noun
: a substance (as an element or compound) obtained from a chemical process or used to get a chemical result

Medical Definition

chemical

1 of 2 adjective
chem·​i·​cal ˈkem-i-kəl How to pronounce chemical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, used in, or produced by chemistry
2
a
: acting or operated or produced by chemicals
b
: detectable by chemical means
chemically adverb

chemical

2 of 2 noun
1
: a substance (as an element or chemical compound) obtained by a chemical process or used for producing a chemical effect
2

More from Merriam-Webster on chemical

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