fis·sion·abil·i·ty
ˌfish(ə)nəˈbilətē 
-lətē,
-i also ˌfizh-
plural -es
: the property of being fissionable
—used especially of chemical elements and materials
Examples of fissionable in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2026
One goal might be to find and remove Iran’s stockpile of fissionable material.
—Carl Leubsdorf, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
This feature means that a relatively small amount of fissionable propellant can be used to power a missile for much longer periods of time than chemical propellants can.
—Iain Boyd, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2025
The gun-type bomb — the most basic nuclear weapon — entails using conventional explosives to fire a subcritical piece of fissionable material into another piece to then trigger the explosive nuclear reaction.
—Brendan Rascius
july 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
There was just so much fissionable material there to generate an explosion, and that’s what happened.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 May 2025
These contain enriched uranium, which is high in the fissionable isotope uranium-235.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2024
Its composition varies, but for power generation, a typical mix contains slightly less than 20 percent by mass of the highly fissionable isotope uranium-235 (U-235).
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 June 2024
In May the National Nuclear Security Administration released an investigation about four 2021 incidents: one criticality safety violation, one breach that resulted in skin contamination for three workers, and two flooding events that sent water toward fissionable materials.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023
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Adjective
Nuclear power is heavily reliant on uranium U-235, the fissionable material used in most current nuclear facilities.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2026
One goal might be to find and remove Iran’s stockpile of fissionable material.
—Carl Leubsdorf, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
This feature means that a relatively small amount of fissionable propellant can be used to power a missile for much longer periods of time than chemical propellants can.
—Iain Boyd, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2025
The gun-type bomb — the most basic nuclear weapon — entails using conventional explosives to fire a subcritical piece of fissionable material into another piece to then trigger the explosive nuclear reaction.
—Brendan Rascius
july 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
There was just so much fissionable material there to generate an explosion, and that’s what happened.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 May 2025
These contain enriched uranium, which is high in the fissionable isotope uranium-235.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2024
Its composition varies, but for power generation, a typical mix contains slightly less than 20 percent by mass of the highly fissionable isotope uranium-235 (U-235).
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 June 2024
In May the National Nuclear Security Administration released an investigation about four 2021 incidents: one criticality safety violation, one breach that resulted in skin contamination for three workers, and two flooding events that sent water toward fissionable materials.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Fissionable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fissionable. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fissionable
adjective
fis·sion·able
ˈfish-(ə-)nə-bəl
ˈfizh-
: capable of going through fission
fissionable material
Medical Definition
fissionable
adjective
fis·sion·able
ˈfish-(ə-)nə-bəl
ˈfizh-
ˈfizh-
: capable of undergoing fission and especially atomic fission
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