industrial

1 of 2

adjective

in·​dus·​tri·​al in-ˈdə-strē-əl How to pronounce industrial (audio)
1
: of or relating to industry
2
: engaged in industry
the industrial classes
3
: characterized by highly developed industries
an industrial nation
4
: used in or developed for use in industry
industrial diamonds
also : heavy-duty
an industrial zipper
5
: derived from human industry
industrial wealth
industrially 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The stakes are especially high for manufacturers with fewer than 100 employees, which account for 93% of the roughly 240,000 U.S. industrial firms. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025 No, that’s me getting carried away; there are no bunnies in my industrial part of Brooklyn. Mari Andrew, Time, 1 July 2025
Noun
Top sectors so far in 2025 The industrials are up around 12% in 2025. Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 30 June 2025 The Nasdaq is up less than 1% while the DJIA (industrials) and the Russell 2000 (small cap) are underwater year to date (with the Russell 2000 off more than -5%). Robert Barone, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for industrial

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of industrial was in 1600

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Cite this Entry

“Industrial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/industrial. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on industrial

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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