physical science

noun

: any of the natural sciences (such as physics, chemistry, and astronomy) that deal primarily with nonliving materials

physical scientist noun

Examples of physical science in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If this budget is enacted, however, NSF officials anticipate only funding a measly 7 percent of research proposals overall rather than 25 percent; the number of graduate research fellowships awarded would be cleaved in half, and postdoctoral fellowships in the physical sciences would drop to zero. —Nadia Drake, Scientific American, 3 June 2025

The math and physical sciences directorate awarded $138 million since Trump took office, compared with $98 million for the same period during 2024. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

The entrance of the Gaithersburg Campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST ), a physical sciences lab complex under the US Department of Commerce. —Louise Matsakis, WIRED, 25 Mar. 2025

Although biomedical science is often in the news, the problems extend to the physical sciences, as evidenced by retracted papers on superconductivity. —Ferric C. Fang, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for physical science

• geoscience
• neuroscience
• noncompliance
• pseudoscience
• appliance
• compliance
• defiance
• reliance

Kids Definition

physical science

noun

: any of the natural sciences (as physics, geology, and astronomy) that deal primarily with nonliving materials

Medical Definition

physical science

noun

: any of the natural sciences (as physics, chemistry, and astronomy) that deal primarily with nonliving materials

physical scientist noun