industrial

1 of 2

adjective

in·​dus·​tri·​al in-ˈdə-strē-əl 

1

: of or relating to industry

industrial development

He had an industrial accident. [=an accident at work]

2

: engaged in industry

the industrial classes

3

: characterized by highly developed industries

an industrial nation/region/city

4

: used in or developed for use in industry

industrial diamonds

also : heavy-duty

an industrial cleaner

5

: derived from human industry

industrial wealth

industrially

in-ˈdə-strē-ə-lē 

adverb

industrial

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: one that is employed in industry

b

: a company engaged in industrial production or service

2

: a stock or bond issued by an industrial corporation or enterprise

Examples of industrial in a Sentence

Adjective

There are thousands of industrial uses for plastic.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The research, conducted by Pranay Mudaliar and Jerin John, an associate professor of mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering at Concordia University, examines how the gel responds to shear, temperature, and the addition of ethanol. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026

Planners still regarded the district as an important source of industrial jobs even as vacant lofts were filling with artists using them in new ways still prohibited by the laws on the books. — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Noun

Technology, industrial, health care and consumer sectors are set to post their latest quarterly results, including Paymentus , Shopify and Hubspot . — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Healthcare deal kickoffs increased 32%, while industrials and energy each increased 25%. — Rusty Wiley, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing industrial

• agro-industrial
• industrial action
• industrial archaeology
• industrial arts
• industrial engineering
• industrial estate
• industrial melanism
• industrial park
• industrial psychology
• industrial relations
• industrial revolution
• industrial school
• industrial sociology
• industrial-strength
• industrial union
• military-industrial complex
• pre-industrial
• prison-industrial complex

Rhymes for industrial

• nonindustrial
• postindustrial
• preindustrial

Kids Definition

industrial

adjective

in·​dus·​tri·​al

in-ˈdəs-trē-əl

1

: of, relating to, or engaged in industry

2

: having highly developed industries

an industrial nation

3

: coming from or used in industry

industrial diamonds

industrially

-trē-ə-lē

adverb