1
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
a college campus that was a nucleus of opposition to the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in core
the central part or aspect of something under consideration
the nucleus of the movement's methodology has always been passive resistance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nucleus
But data from the Hubble Space Telescope helped astronomers estimate the size of the comet’s solid, icy nucleus as anywhere from about 1,400 feet to 3½ miles in diameter.
—
Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 12 Jan. 2026
The ice formations begin to form when frazil (ice crystals) anchor to something floating on the water's surface, such as dust, algae, a grain of sand or even a snowflake, which is called the ice nuclei.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Every team is different, but the Horns have a nice nucleus coming back and the hunger to get back in the tournament.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
Connecting the retina to the visual cortex is a structure called the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN).
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nucleus
Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 12 Jan. 2026
The ice formations begin to form when frazil (ice crystals) anchor to something floating on the water's surface, such as dust, algae, a grain of sand or even a snowflake, which is called the ice nuclei.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Every team is different, but the Horns have a nice nucleus coming back and the hunger to get back in the tournament.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
Connecting the retina to the visual cortex is a structure called the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN).
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nucleus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nucleus
Noun
-
About 80 warming centers were opened across the state, known as one of the nation's poorest.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
On the company’s earnings call, analysts asked CEO Tim Cook several questions about Apple’s access to memory components, which have seen their prices skyrocket due to demand related to chips necessary for artificial intelligence data centers.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Mobile units have core tasks of license plate collection and vehicle pattern tracking.—
Asra Q. Nomani , Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The birth of Endeavor startled Hollywood, but Endeavor’s subsequent takeover of powerhouse William Morris shook the town to its core.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Mrvan helped Northwest Indiana land a hydrogen hub for BP’s Whiting Refinery, a project to turn waste carbon into hydrogen.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Two months later, her heart began to beat irregularly.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Vidal was struck five times and bullets hit his heart, lung, liver and pancreas.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Some of Thursday’s decline was related to Wall Street not being happy with how much the company was spending on investments for the future (capital expenditures), and the cloud business Azure may not have done as well as some hoped.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
However, some oil executives have expressed discomfort with the idea of sending capital into Venezuela.—
Moriah Thomas,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In essence, this would mean that alpha particles (helium nuclei) released by decaying uranium (or some other fissile material) would be focused through engine nozzles to generate thrust.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
-
For the chaotic essence of Catania, head (at the crack of dawn) to its 19th-century fish market under the Archi della Marina.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Lane Bryant store is now gone, the shopping center on the far west side of Tinley Park has blossomed and life in the southwest suburb now known as an entertainment mecca goes on.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The Bay Area is a mecca for social dancing, from salsa to line dancing to modern ballroom, said Richard Powers, a choreographer and dance historian who teaches social dance classes at Stanford University.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Taken together, the list reads like a snapshot of a category that’s evolving quickly while still holding onto its roots.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
According to Natacha Bonjout, French pharmacist and founder of Bonjout Beauty, the ingredient is based on plant extract Anemarrhena asphodeloides root, which is rich in sarsasapogenin to stimulate fat cells.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nucleus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nucleus. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
