thermonuclear

adjective

ther·​mo·​nu·​cle·​ar ˌthər-mō-ˈnü-klē-ər 

-ˈnyü-,

nonstandard

-ˈn(y)ü-kyə-lər 

1

: of, relating to, or employing transformations in the nuclei of atoms of low atomic weight (such as hydrogen) that require a very high temperature for their inception (as in the hydrogen bomb or in the sun)

thermonuclear reaction

thermonuclear weapon

2

: of, utilizing, or relating to a thermonuclear bomb

thermonuclear war

a thermonuclear attack

Examples of thermonuclear in a Sentence

Hydrogen bombs are thermonuclear weapons.

Recent Examples on the Web

But alongside this optimism was the horror caused by the use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and the specter of a nuclear arms race—principally between the Soviet Union and the United States—spurring the development of ever more destructive thermonuclear weapons. —Rafael Mariano Grossi, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2024

There’s also a thermonuclear flash that sets everything on fire and melts lead, steel, and titanium. —Sean Illing, Vox, 23 June 2024

Altogether these details support the long-standing suspicion that our solar system was seeded and enriched by the explosive deaths of a diverse range of thermonuclear furnaces. —Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2024

New Delhi has only conducted a handful of nuclear tests—not enough to validate its thermonuclear designs to offer high confidence that these weapons will perform as designed. —Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr., Foreign Affairs, 26 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

thermonuclear

adjective

ther·​mo·​nu·​cle·​ar ˌthər-mō-ˈn(y)ü-klē-ər 

: of or relating to the transformations in the nucleus of atoms of low atomic weight (as hydrogen) that require a very high temperature (as in the hydrogen bomb or in the sun)

a thermonuclear reaction

a thermonuclear weapon