What does "nuclear" mean?
Nuclear power.
Nuclear
/ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Nuclear power.
- Grammar: nuclear is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: atomic, amidships, atom type, atomic groups.
- Useful contrasts: conventional, cytoplasmic, extranuclear.
- Usage evidence: Only by prohibiting nuclear weapons altogether can we stop the arms race.
How to use "nuclear"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nuclear" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nuclear" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nuclear" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nuclear" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nuclear" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "atomic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nuclear", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Nuclear power. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 2 Nuclear weapon countable, uncountable
"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."
Adjective
- 1 Pertaining to the nucleus of an atom. not-comparable
- 2 Involving energy released by nuclear reactions (fission, fusion, radioactive decay). not-comparable
"a nuclear reactor"
- 3 Relating to a weapon that derives its force from rapid release of energy through nuclear reactions. not-comparable
"a nuclear explosion"
- 4 Having nuclear weapons. not-comparable
"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."
- 5 Involving an extreme course of action, or one with severe consequences. broadly, figuratively, not-comparable
"nuclear option, nuclear solution"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Pertaining to the nucleus of a cell. not-comparable
"However, the DNA in a bacterial cell is a single circular molecule and there is no separate nuclear compartment."
- 7 Pertaining to a centre around which something is developed or organised; central, pivotal. archaic, not-comparable
"Nuclear Polynesian languages include Hawaiian and Samoan."
- 8 Relating to, being of, or comprising the nuclear family. not-comparable
"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 gay men […] Look at Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows, such a silly, pompous queen, and even Randall Jarrell's The Animal Family has a lot to say about non-human and non-nuclear arrangements."
Adjective
- 1 constituting or like a nucleus wordnet
- 2 (weapons) deriving destructive energy from the release of atomic energy wordnet
- 3 of or relating to or constituting the nucleus of an atom wordnet
- 4 of or relating to or constituting the nucleus of a cell wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Only by prohibiting nuclear weapons altogether can we stop the arms race."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nuclear"?
Common synonyms include: atomic, amidships, atom type, atomic groups, atomic property, average.
How do you use "nuclear" in a sentence?
Only by prohibiting nuclear weapons altogether can we stop the arms race.
How do you pronounce "nuclear"?
Pronounced /ˈn(j)u.kli.ɚ/.
Etymology
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.