crystalline

adjective

crys·tal·line | \ ˈkri-stə-lən also -ˌlīn

, -ˌlēn\

Definition of crystalline

1 : resembling crystal: such as

a : strikingly clear or sparkling crystalline air a crystalline lake

b : clear-cut

2 : made of crystal : composed of crystals

3 : constituting or relating to a crystal

Other Words from crystalline Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about crystalline

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Examples of crystalline in a Sentence

we could see fish swimming beneath the crystalline ice of the frozen lake

Recent Examples on the Web

The sky was cloudless, the water a crystalline turquoise. — Jamie Brisick, The New Yorker, "Surfing in the Age of the Omnipresent Camera," 26 Aug. 2019 On Sunday, at least four of the migrants jumped into the crystalline waters in a bid to reach shore, but the crew dove in right after them and brought them back to the boat. — Frances D’emilio, BostonGlobe.com, "Charity suggests plane could resolve migrant boat standoff," 19 Aug. 2019 On April 1 each year, researchers ski and snowshoe out into the high mountains of the western Unite States to jab stakes into the bright, crystalline snow, checking the thickness of the blanket. — Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, "'Snow droughts' are coming for the American West," 14 Aug. 2019 The investigation involved physics, metallurgy, and the crystalline strength of steel at work. — Adam Rogers, WIRED, "How 'Microcracks' Undermined San Francisco's New Bus Terminal," 10 Aug. 2019 What followed — 36 summers ago — was eight weeks of boot camp and a 24-year career that stretched out before her like the Atlantic horizon on a crystalline summer’s day. — Thomas Farragher, BostonGlobe.com, "The voice you hear is Nantucket Sound’s guardian angel," 6 Aug. 2019 Another Life opens with an ouroboros-like alien spacecraft cruising above Earth, then crashing into a soybean field and turning into a crystalline communications tower. — Samantha Nelson, The Verge, "Netflix’s Another Life starts as Arrival, then turns into Star Trek," 23 July 2019 In one of Tatcha’s Instagram posts from last year, Ziegler’s crystalline eyes appear to pop underneath a purple Tatcha mask infused with Japanese beautyberry. — Khanh T.l. Tran, latimes.com, "She gave up everything to start beauty brand Tatcha. What happens after it’s sold?," 8 July 2019 If a few of the character’s poignant moments in the second half weren’t optimized, Boggess impressed with her crystalline singing and gameness for comedy. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Into the Woods’ and stars align in magical night at the Hollywood Bowl," 28 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crystalline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near crystalline

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Last Updated

30 Aug 2019

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Time Traveler for crystalline

The first known use of crystalline was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for crystalline

crystalline

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of crystalline

: clear and shining like crystal

technical : made of or similar to crystal or crystals

See the full definition for crystalline in the English Language Learners Dictionary

crystalline

adjective

crys·tal·line | \ ˈkri-stə-lən

Kids Definition of crystalline

1 : made of crystal or composed of crystals

2 : clear entry 1 sense 4

crystalline

adjective

crys·tal·line | \ ˈkris-tə-lən also -ˌlīn, -ˌlēn\

Medical Definition of crystalline

1 : composed of or resembling crystals

2a : formed by crystallization : having regular arrangement of the atoms in a space lattice — see amorphous sense 2

b : having the internal structure though not necessarily the external form of a crystal granite is only crystalline, while quartz crystal is perfectly crystallized