antinuclear

adjective

an·​ti·​nu·​cle·​ar ˌan-tē-ˈnü-klē-ər  ˌan-ˌtī- 

-ˈnyü-,

 nonstandard  -kyə-lər

1

: opposing the use or production of nuclear power

2

: tending to react with cell nuclei or their components (such as DNA)

antinuclear antibodies

Examples of antinuclear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year, the energy analyst and former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state Todd Moss proposed that the World Bank hire experts who can evaluate nuclear energy within recipient countries’ energy mix, but the idea will likely still face opposition from the bank’s antinuclear shareholders. —Juzel Lloyd, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2025

The Fukushima reactor meltdowns in similarly quake-prone Japan reinforced the party’s antinuclear stance. —IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2024

Major European political parties adopted antinuclear policies. —Nigel Gould-Davies, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2023

For example, the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is usually positive in lupus. —Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 11 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for antinuclear

• internuclear
• intranuclear
• mononuclear
• perinuclear
• polynuclear
• supranuclear
• thermonuclear
• binuclear
• nuclear
• polymorphonuclear

Medical Definition

antinuclear

adjective

an·​ti·​nu·​cle·​ar -ˈn(y)ü-klē-ər 

: being antibodies or autoantibodies that react with components and especially DNA of cell nuclei and that tend to occur frequently in connective tissue diseases (as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjögrens syndrome)