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

Elite athletes offer a prime population to study metabolic function at its best, since their network of molecular and chemical reactions must be finely tuned to compete on the world stage. —Travis Nemkov, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024

Led by researchers at ASTRO 3D, a scientific center funded by the Australian government, the scientists studied 91 pairs of twin stars, which were born in the same molecular clouds and travel together. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024

Williams attended Cal State Monterey Bay and earned a degree in molecular cell biology. —Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024

What are the mechanisms at the biological and molecular levels? —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Somehow water must pass unscathed from placid molecular clouds through sizzling star-forming disks. —Shannon Hall, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024

To distinguish between the historical remains of black and brown rats, the researchers used a molecular analysis protocol called ZooMS that identifies different species based on the amino acid makeup of collagen proteins inside bone. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024

In the 1990s, a group of scientists used molecular analysis to show that skunks and polecats are in different subfamilies despite looking similar. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024

Circadian rhythms involve more than just the central clock in the brain, because every organ and tissue has its own molecular timekeepers, what scientists call peripheral clocks. —Will Stone, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024

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

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