nuclear
English · Español · Português · Română · 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.
nuclear
- /ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/ Canada
- /ˈnjuː.klɪə(ɹ)/ UK
- /ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/ US
- /ˈn(j)u.kjə.lɚ/ proscribed
Rhymes with -uːkliə(ɹ), -uːklɪə(ɹ), -uːkjələ(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Latin nū̆cleus, a contraction of the adjective nuculeus, masculine of feminine nuculea (“pertaining to a small nut”) from nucula + adjectival suffix -eus, -ea, -eum. The Latin nucula + -āris adds up to nuculāris, a term that in English becomes nucular; the Latin nuculea + -āris, becomes Latin nuculeāris (“relative to what pertains to small nut”), later contracted into nuclear. By surface analysis, nucleus + -ar. Compare muscle and Latin mūsculus; muscular and mūsculāris.
adjective
- Pertaining to the nucleus of an atom.
- Involving energy released by nuclear reactions (fission, fusion, radioactive decay). a nuclear reactor
- Relating to a weapon that derives its force from rapid release of energy through nuclear reactions. a nuclear explosion
- Having nuclear weapons. They will blame him for pursuing the ideological aim of destruction of Israel – something many Iranians don't support. They will blame him for what they perceive as a folly – his belief that achieving nuclear status would render his regime invincible.
- Involving an extreme course of action, or one with severe consequences. nuclear option, nuclear solution
- Pertaining to the nucleus of a cell. However, the DNA in a bacterial cell is a single circular molecule and there is no separate nuclear compartment.
- Pertaining to a centre around which something is developed or organised; central, pivotal. Nuclear Polynesian languages include Hawaiian and Samoan.
- Relating to, being of, or comprising the nuclear family. Somehow it is much easier to convey the emotions of gayness — the feelings of outsideness —through anthropomorphism. Gay poet and limerist Edward lear uses animals and creatures perfectly this way […] Even the Muppets — as mainstream and heterosexual as some of them may be — are favorites among many
noun nuclears
- Nuclear power. The growth in wind capacity at first lagged behind the expansion of nuclear installations, but then it started to grow faster and is now outpacing nuclear.
- Nuclear weapon Admiral Burke believed that we would be able to beat off an amphibious attack, even if staged in conjunction with heavy aerial bombing, long enough to refer back to Washington and obtain authorization to use nuclears.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: atomic, thermonuclear, central, nuclide, atom, radioactive, fissile, reactor, nuke, chem, npp, uranium, nucleic, manufacture, npt, iaea
Translations
Every language
adj involving nuclear energy
| Español | nuclear |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 핵 haek |
| 日本語 | 核 kaku |
| 中文 | 核 hé |
| हिन्दी | नाभिकीय nābhikīya |
| Português | nuclear |
| Français | nucléaire |
| Deutsch | nuklear, Kern- |
| Italiano | nucleare |
| Ελληνικά | πυρηνικός pyrinikós |
| Română | nuclear, atomic |
| Русский | я́дерный jádernyj |
| Tiếng Việt | hạt nhân |
| العربية | نَوَوِيّ nawawiyy |
| עברית | גַּרְעִינִי gar'iní |
adj of a weapon: deriving its force from nuclear energy
| Español | nuclear |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 핵 haek |
| 日本語 | 核 kaku |
| 中文 | 核 hé |
| हिन्दी | नाभिकीय nābhikīya, कंद्रकीय kandrakīya |
| Português | nuclear |
| Français | nucléaire |
| Deutsch | nuklear, Kern- |
| Italiano | nucleare |
| Română | nuclear, atomic |
| Русский | я́дерный jádernyj |
| Tiếng Việt | hạt nhân |
| العربية | نَوَوِيّ nawawiyy |
| עברית | גַּרְעִינִי gar'iní |
adj pertaining to the nucleus of a cell
| Español | nuclear |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 핵 haek |
| 日本語 | 核 kaku |
| 中文 | 核 hé |
| हिन्दी | केंद्रक kendrak, केंद्रकीय kendrakīya, नाभिकीय nābhikīya |
| Português | nuclear |
| Français | nucléaire |
| Deutsch | nuklear, Kern- |
| Italiano | nucleare |
| Ελληνικά | πυρηνικός pyrinikós |
| Română | nuclear |
| Русский | я́дерный jádernyj |
| Tiếng Việt | hạt, hạt nhân |
| العربية | نَوَوِيّ nawawiyy |
| עברית | גַּרְעִינִי gar'iní |
adj pertaining to a centre; central, pivotal
| Español | nucleario |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | केंद्रीय kendrīya |
| Русский | центра́льный centrálʹnyj |
Talk about this word "nuclear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nuclear. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nuclear. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nuclear "nuclear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nuclear.Cite this
@misc{nuclear_2026,
title = {nuclear},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nuclear},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
