denature
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
denature
- /diːˈneɪtjə(ɹ)/ UK
- /diːˈneɪt͡ʃə(ɹ)/ UK
- /diːˈnɛː.t͡ʃɐ/ Northern England
- /diˈneɪ̯.t͡ʃəɹ/ Canada, US
- /diːˈnæɪ̯.t͡ʃə/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -eɪtjə(ɹ), -eɪtʃə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French dénaturer. By surface analysis, de- + nature.
verb denatures · denaturing · denatured · denaturise
-
To take away a natural characteristic or inherent property of (a thing or a person).
Similar: denaturalize
- To add something to (alcohol) that makes it unsuitable for consumption but leaves it suitable for most other purposes. While you cannot drink denatured alcohol, you can still use it to remove sticker glue from most surfaces.
-
To alter its original form or state, especially of a protein, by heat, acidity etc.
Sugars are wonderfully robust materials! Unlike proteins that easily denature and coagulate, unlike fats that are damaged by air and heat and go rancid, unlike starch chains that break apart into smaller chains of glucose molecules, sugars themselves are small and stable molecules.
Opposite: renature
-
Of double-stranded DNA, specifically to split into two single strands.
Opposite: renature
- To combine fissile material with nonfissile material in order to prevent its use in an atomic weapon.
Translations
Every language
verb to take away a natural characteristic of
| Español | desnaturalizar |
|---|---|
| Français | dénaturer |
verb to add substance to make unsuitable for consumption
| Deutsch | vergällen |
|---|
verb to subject a protein to conditions altering its original form
| Español | desnaturalizar |
|---|---|
| Français | dénaturer |
| Deutsch | denaturieren |
Talk about this word "denature." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/denature. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. denature. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/denature "denature." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/denature.Cite this
@misc{denature_2026,
title = {denature},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/denature},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
