molecular

adjective

mo·​lec·​u·​lar mə-ˈle-kyə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, consisting of, or produced by molecules

molecular oxygen

2

: of or relating to individual or small components

a molecular view of the American Civil War

molecularly

mə-ˈle-kyə-lər-lē 

adverb

Examples of molecular in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But instead of oxygen making up the rest, that remainder is composed of tough-to-breathe methane and molecular hydrogen. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 31 July 2026

The new controls allow the simulator to reproduce thermal environments that are much closer to those found in real molecular systems. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 31 July 2026

The team says the molecular analysis indicates that the strains existed in a now-extinct variola virus lineage that bridges Old World European strains with its later variants. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026

Wei Yu and his colleagues at Hebei University of Technology changed the molecular structure of the material to improve its performance. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing molecular

• gram molecular weight
• molecular biology
• molecular chaperone
• molecular formula
• molecular genetics
• molecular mass
• molecular orbital
• molecular sieve
• molecular weight

Rhymes for molecular

• trabecular
• bimolecular
• biomolecular
• intermolecular
• intramolecular
• macromolecular
• monomolecular
• supramolecular
• unimolecular
• secular
• specular

Kids Definition

molecular

adjective

mo·​lec·​u·​lar mə-ˈlek-yə-lər 

: of, relating to, or produced by molecules

Medical Definition

molecular

adjective

mo·​lec·​u·​lar mə-ˈlek-yə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, consisting of, or produced by molecules

molecular oxygen

2

: relating to or emphasizing individual responses or structures of behavior

proceed by more and more detailed analysis to the molecular facts of perception

—G. A. Miller

compare molar entry 3 sense 2

molecularity

-ˌlek-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē 

noun

plural molecularities

molecularly

mə-ˈlek-yə-lər-lē 

adverb