nuclear

adjective

nu·cle·ar ˈnü-klē-ər

ˈnyü-

nonstandard -kyə-lər

Synonyms of nuclear next

: of, relating to, or constituting a nucleus

annexation of the suburban fringe by the nuclear metropolis—

W. H. Wickwar

: of or relating to the atomic nucleus

nuclear reaction

nuclear physics

: used in or produced by a nuclear reaction (such as fission)

nuclear fuel

nuclear waste

nuclear energy

c(1)

: being a weapon whose destructive power derives from an uncontrolled nuclear reaction

(2)

: of, produced by, or involving nuclear weapons

the nuclear age

nuclear war

(3)

: armed with nuclear weapons

nuclear powers

: of, relating to, or powered by nuclear energy

a nuclear submarine

the nuclear debate

a nuclear plant

How do you pronounce nuclear?: Usage Guide

Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in \-kyə-lər\ have been found in widespread use among educated speakers including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, U.S. cabinet members, and at least two U.S. presidents and one vice president. While most common in the U.S., these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers.

Phrases

go nuclear

informal

: to become wildly excited or upset : go berserk

To say the crowd went wild is an understatement. The crowd went nuclear. Outside the stadium, cars were overturned and fires were set. We sportswriters huddled inside, fearing for our lives.—

Tony Kornheiser

Examples of nuclear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock student took part in cutting-edge research this summer at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, focusing on nuclear and materials engineering. —

April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 31 Oct. 2024 Shortly before the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel reportedly rushed to assemble nuclear devices out of concerns about possible Egyptian strikes on its nuclear facilities. —

Uri Friedman, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024 Musk offered an apocalyptic take on the issue at this week’s event, referring to an incident when Google’s Gemini said that nuclear war would be preferable to misgendering Caitlyn Jenner. —

Will Knight, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024 Parsi said if the Israelis were to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, regardless of whether the Iranians can get a bomb quickly or not, Tehran will seek to build a nuclear weapon. —

Mostafa Salem, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for nuclear