petrochemical

noun

pet·​ro·​chem·​i·​cal ˌpe-trō-ˈke-mi-kəl 

: a chemical isolated or derived from petroleum or natural gas

petrochemistry

ˌpe-trō-ˈke-mə-strē 

noun

Examples of petrochemical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The facility is estimated to have a refining capacity of more than 21 million metric tons of crude oil per year and specializes in the production of a range of fuels, lubricants and petrochemical products. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 7 July 2026

The rapid growth reflects China’s robust demand for Saudi crude oil and petrochemical products, as well as the kingdom's imports of Chinese machinery, electronics, and transport equipment. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026

When petrochemicals, industrial chemicals, aluminum, and helium all become unreliable simultaneously, the math of lean manufacturing collapses. — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

The team believes further advances in large-area membrane manufacturing and long-term operational reliability could support broader deployment across the refining, petrochemical, and chemical processing industries. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

petro- + chemical entry 2

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for petrochemical

• academical
• agrochemical
• biochemical
• cytochemical
• geochemical
• histochemical
• microchemical
• neurochemical
• photochemical
• phytochemical
• spectrochemical
• thermochemical

Kids Definition

petrochemical

noun

pet·​ro·​chem·​i·​cal ˌpe-trō-ˈkem-i-kəl 

: a chemical obtained from petroleum or natural gas