Definition of kinetic
1 : of or relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces and energy associated therewith
2a : active, livelyb : dynamic, energizing a kinetic performer
3 : of or relating to kinetic art
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Examples of kinetic in a Sentence
the novel's plot is kinetic and fast-paced, and its effect on the reader is much like that of a surfeit of caffeine
the loft district is the locus of the city's kinetic arts scene
Recent Examples of kinetic from the Web
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The EKV uses kinetic energy, not explosives, to destroy its target.
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With the help of on-board navigation systems, the kill vehicles, which carry no explosives, are supposed to crash into and destroy enemy warheads using only kinetic energy.
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Gooski's crackles with the kinetic energy of a dive bar that makes its nut in volume, not markup.
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The cinematography is luscious and the action sequences impressively staged, especially a massive brawl in which the camera becomes a kinetic player in the fray, pinballing dizzily around the room.
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A giant solar collector – 5 micrometers thick and 3 miles long on a side – captures the kinetic energy of photons in sunlight, carrying the ship through the inner solar system like an America's Cup yacht.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kinetic'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Kinetic comes from the Greek word kinētikos, meaning "of motion, which in turn traces to the verb kinein, meaning "to move." Compared to some other English words that have their roots in Greek, "kinetic" is a relatively young English word; the earliest evidence we have of its use is from 1864. Although it deals with the motion of images rather than material bodies, the word cinema can also be traced back to "kinein." The verb "kinein" is the source of the Greek kinēma, meaning "movement, to which the French referred in the coining of their "cinématographe." "Cinématographe" is the word that gave rise to the English word cinematograph, of which "cinema" is simply a shortened form.
Origin and Etymology of kinetic
Greek kinētikos, from kinētos, from kinein —see -kinesis
First Known Use: 1864
Other Physics Terms
KINETIC Defined for English Language Learners
kinetic
playDefinition of kinetic for English Language Learners
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: of or relating to the movement of physical objects
KINETIC Defined for Kids
kinetic
playDefinition of kinetic for Students
: relating to the motions of objects and the forces associated with them kinetic energy
Medical Dictionary
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See words that rhyme with kinetic Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kinetic Nglish: Translation of kinetic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of kinetic for Arabic speakers
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