petrochemical

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

petrochemistry

2 of 2

noun (2)

pe·​tro·​chemistry "+ 

1

: the chemistry of rocks

2

: the chemistry of petroleum

especially : a branch of chemistry dealing with the production of petrochemicals

Examples of petrochemical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Chandra Asri is part of Barito Pacific, a timber company that Pangestu transformed into an energy and petrochemicals giant. — Yessar Rosendar, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The production slowdown was deepened by a shortage of raw plastic materials, triggered by ongoing shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which cut off petrochemical exports to North Africa for bottle manufacturing. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Iran is demanding a 5% or 7% service fee per barrel of oil that would generate close to $20 billion annually, and that’s not even counting fees on other cargoes, such as natural gas, petrochemicals, helium, fertilizer, and container cargoes. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

The Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea are crucial critical shipping lanes for Japanese automakers that rely on aluminum and petrochemicals like naphtha for car production. — Justina Lee, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

petro- + chemical entry 2

Noun (2)

petr- + chemistry

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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