petrochemical

noun

pet·​ro·​chem·​i·​cal ˌpe-trō-ˈke-mi-kəl 

: a chemical isolated or derived from petroleum or natural gas

petrochemistry

ˌpe-trō-ˈke-mə-strē 

noun

Examples of petrochemical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

China has begun the construction of the Xuwei Nuclear Heating and Power Plant in Jiangsu Province, a project claimed to be the world’s first large-scale facility to directly couple nuclear energy with the petrochemical industry. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Jan. 2026

However, relatives said Mabuiango was unable to secure a government scholarship to study petrochemical engineering as she was promised. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026

In fact, anti-government protests have already spread to Iran’s oil sector with workers at a large refining and petrochemical complex going on strike. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026

While oil demand from the country’s transportation sector has already peaked, other sectors including petrochemicals and jet fuel are projected to keep rising. —Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

petro- + chemical entry 2

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for petrochemical

• academical
• agrochemical
• biochemical
• cytochemical
• geochemical
• histochemical
• microchemical
• neurochemical
• photochemical
• phytochemical
• spectrochemical
• thermochemical

Kids Definition

petrochemical

noun

pet·​ro·​chem·​i·​cal ˌpe-trō-ˈkem-i-kəl 

: a chemical obtained from petroleum or natural gas