What does "ammonia" mean?

A gaseous, toxic compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH₃, with a pungent smell and taste.

How do you pronounce "ammonia"?

Pronounced //əˈməʊ.nɪ.ə//.

Ammonia

Q: What is a synonym for "ammonia"?

Common synonyms include: acetylene, alcohol, ammonia liquor, ammonia solution, ammonia water, ammonia water.

//əˈməʊ.nɪ.ə// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1
A gaseous, toxic compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, NH₃, with a pungent smell and taste. countable, uncountable
2
a pungent gas compounded of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH3) wordnet
3
A solution of this compound in water used domestically as a cleaning fluid. countable, uncountable
"Never use ammonia to clean metal writing pens."
4
a water solution of ammonia wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

acetylene alcohol ammonia liquor ammonia solution ammonia water ammonia water

Example

More examples

"Ammonia is a colorless liquid or gas with a very strong smell."

Etymology

From Latin sal ammoniacus (“salt of Amun, ammonium chloride”), named so because it was found near the temple of (Jupiter) Ammon in Egypt. Ammon derives from Ancient Greek Ἄμμων (Ámmōn), from Egyptian jmn (i-mn:n-A4).

More for "ammonia"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.