cellular

1 of 2

adjective

cel·​lu·​lar ˈsel-yə-lər 

1

a

: of, relating to, or consisting of cells

a cellular structure

cellular growth

b

: cell-mediated

cellular immunity

2

: containing cavities : having a porous texture

cellular rocks

3

: of, relating to, or being a radiotelephone system in which a geographical area (such as a city) is divided into small sections each served by a transmitter of limited range

cellular phones

cellularity

ˌsel-yə-ˈler-ə-tē 

-ˈla-rə-

noun

cellular

2 of 2

noun

: cell phone

Examples of cellular in a Sentence

Adjective

Researchers are observing the course of the disease at the cellular level.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Humans need fat for basic cellular and biological functions in the body—fats, or lipids, are essential for creating cellular membranes, absorbing hormones and vitamins and regulating body temperature. —Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026

In the study, Yale School of Medicine, or YSM, researchers discovered elevated GLO1 levels in the brains of animals with excessive levels of cellular calcium, finding that the brain increased GLO1 expression as a protective mechanism to mitigate the effects of the calcium dysregulation. —Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026

Noun

Starshield, by contrast, is using a much lower frequency range that probably only allows for the transmission of data at rates closer to 3G cellular, Tilley says. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025

While this issue hasn’t affected my cellular, maybe this change has something to do with it? —PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

New Latin cellularis, from cellula living cell, from Latin, diminutive of cella small room

First Known Use

Adjective

1716, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1985, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cellular

• cellular foam
• cellular respiration
• cellular suicide
• cellular telephone

Rhymes for cellular

• acellular
• subcellular
• extracellular
• intercellular
• intracellular
• multicellular
• unicellular
• hepatocellular

Kids Definition

cellular

adjective

cel·​lu·​lar

ˈsel-yə-lər

1

: of, relating to, or consisting of cells

2

: of, relating to, or being a radiotelephone system in which a geographical area (as a city) is divided into small sections each served by a transmitter of limited range

cellular phones

Medical Definition

cellular

adjective

cel·​lu·​lar ˈsel-yə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, or consisting of cells

2

: cell-mediated

cellular immunity

cellularity

ˌsel-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē 

noun

plural cellularities