1
a
: of, relating to, or concerned with atoms
atomic physics
b
: nuclear sense 2
atomic energy
2
a
: marked by acceptance of the theory of atomism
3
: minute
4
of a chemical element
: existing in the state of separate atoms
Examples of atomic in a Sentence
made atomic adjustments to the clock's mechanism to keep it from whirring as it ran
Recent Examples on the Web
Brilliant scientific minds of the era, including Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi and J. Robert Oppenheimer – who directed the Los Alamos, New Mexico, branch of The Manhattan Project – came together in a race against Germany and the Soviet Union to build an atomic weapon.
—
Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
The Truman Administration made sincere, ultimately frustrated efforts to bring atomic weapons under the supervision of the United Nations.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 15 July 2025
That effort, in turn, was dramatically amplified by the Trump administration’s decision to wade into the fray, using American military superiority to target hardened and buried elements of Iran’s atomic effort – to devastating effect.
—Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The 2008 reimagining of The Day the Earth Stood Still has Klaatu warning earthlings about ecocide rather than an atomic menace.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for atomic
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Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
The Truman Administration made sincere, ultimately frustrated efforts to bring atomic weapons under the supervision of the United Nations.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 15 July 2025
That effort, in turn, was dramatically amplified by the Trump administration’s decision to wade into the fray, using American military superiority to target hardened and buried elements of Iran’s atomic effort – to devastating effect.
—Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
The 2008 reimagining of The Day the Earth Stood Still has Klaatu warning earthlings about ecocide rather than an atomic menace.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for atomic
Cite this Entry
“Atomic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atomic. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
atomic
adjective
atom·ic
ə-ˈtäm-ik 
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with atoms, atomic bombs, or nuclear energy
atomic physics
the atomic age
atomic energy
2
: extremely small
3
: found in the state of separate atoms
atomic hydrogen
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