kinetic
adjective
Did you know?
Ever watch a top spin? Or see one pool ball collide with another and send it across the felt? When you do, you’re witnessing kinetic energy—the energy of something in motion. Kinetics is a branch of science that deals with the effects of forces upon the motions of material bodies, and something described as kinetic has to do with the motion of material bodies and the forces associated with them. Both words were adopted in the 19th century from the Greek word kinētikos (meaning "of motion") for use in the field of physics, but the adjective kinetic proved too apt for broader application, and by the 1930s it was being used to describe people and things full of literal and figurative energy as well.
Examples of kinetic in a Sentence
Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Hera adds a couple orders of magnitude in our understanding of how much energy DART expended in its kinetic impact and what that capability provides for planetary defense.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Though White occasionally fell short tying together all the threads — a few songs ambled deep into the weeds and nearly suffocated from their complexity — his masterful guitar techniques and kinetic vocals made the detours worthwhile.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
The action scenes generate serious tension as well, and famed filmmaker Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) directs the pilot with a kinetic spark that carries throughout the series.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kinetic
Cite this Entry
“Kinetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinetic. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kinetic
adjective
from Greek kinētikos "relating to motion," derived from kinein "to move" — related to cinema
Medical Definition
kinetic
adjective
kī-
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