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

The most massive stars, the ones that form in the molecular gas clouds brought together by gravity, burn hydrogen into helium, helium into carbon, and then build up heavier elements like oxygen, neon, magnesium, sulphur, silicon, and even iron, cobalt, and nickel in their cores. —Big Think, 27 Nov. 2025

The study details a new molecular design that improves the interface between cell layers. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025

Abbott is a diagnostics company that sells lab tests for heart disease and infections, rapid tests for COVID-19 and advanced molecular tests that detect genetic markers and viruses. —Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 20 Nov. 2025

In those early years, his style of restaurant—one that’s intensely connected to the land—wasn’t as en vogue as the whizbang science of the molecular gastronomists. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for molecular

• trabecular
• bimolecular
• biomolecular
• intermolecular
• intramolecular
• macromolecular
• monomolecular
• supramolecular
• unimolecular
• secular
• specular

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