Thesaurus results for NUCLEUSES

nuclei

noun

variants also nucleuses

plural of nucleus

as in centers

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

as in hearts

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 nuclei This could be groundbreaking as atomic nuclei are more stable than electrons, and less affected by things like temperature. —

Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026 At the nearly 17-mile-long circular particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that sits deep below the French Alps, CERN scientists recreated the quark-gluon plasma by smashing together atomic nuclei of iron at near-light speed. —

Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Apr. 2026 Cosmic rays are a mix of different subatomic particles, including helium nuclei (two protons and two neutrons bound together) or even heavier elements. —

Phil Plait, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2026 In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei. —

Big Think, 19 Mar. 2026 With less pollution, there are fewer nuclei on which water droplets aggregate to form clouds—and therefore fewer clouds, both over land and the ocean downwind, researchers hypothesize. —

Lauren Sommer, NPR, 12 Mar. 2026 Its apparently smooth screen quickly dissolves into a jiggling lattice of molecules, which in turn resolve into clouds of electrons buzzing around atomic nuclei. —

Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026 In its earliest days, the Universe was a hot, dense soup of subatomic particles, including hydrogen and helium nuclei, aka baryons. —

Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2025 While pulling matter in, some active galactic nuclei (AGN) release ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can reach nearby planets similarly to how the sun's radiation reaches Earth. —

Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nuclei

Noun

This summer, the mayor says recreational centers will begin hosting midnight basketball.

— Terell Bailey, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
The free, one-day event centers on independent comic creators, cosplay, and beginner-friendly Dungeons and Dragons, offering a smaller, more focused alternative to traditional conventions.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2026