WordGarden.iomolecular
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /məlˈɛkjʊlə/
US
- /məˈlɛkjələr/
Meanings
Adjective
relating to molecules or processes at the scale of molecules
Beyond the definition
Everything around us - the air we breathe, the food we eat, even our own bodies - is made of very small things called molecules. When something is "molecular," it relates to these tiny units and how they act together. Think about molecular gastronomy - cooking that uses ideas from science to change food in surprising ways. Or think of a molecular biologist studying life by looking at molecules inside living things. It is all about what things are made of at a very small scale.
The word "molecular" is used most often in science, especially in chemistry and biology. You will see it in phrases like "molecular structure," "molecular biology," and "molecular formula." In each case, it points to the level of molecules rather than to larger parts that we can easily see.
The word "molecular" describes anything relating to molecules - groups of atoms joined together. If you imagine matter as something built from tiny parts, then "molecular" points to that level. It helps us talk about what substances are made of and what happens when those tiny parts join, move, or change.
You will most often meet "molecular" in science. Molecular biology studies life by looking at molecules in cells, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. In chemistry, people talk about molecular structure, molecular weight, or a molecular formula. A molecular formula shows which atoms make up a substance, such as for water.
The idea is usually scientific, but the word can sometimes be used in a looser way to suggest extreme detail. If someone says they are looking at something at a "molecular level," they mean they are examining its smallest parts very closely. Still, this broader use is much less common than the scientific one.
Think about the phrase "molecular gastronomy," a style of cooking that uses scientific ideas to create new textures and effects. It is not just about making food look unusual; it is about understanding what happens to ingredients at the level of molecules, such as why heat changes texture or how a liquid can become a foam.
So whether you are talking about biology, chemistry, or even cooking, "molecular" always leads back to the tiny parts that make up the material world.
Examples
- 1
Water chemistry
The textbook explains how the molecular structure of water affects its behavior.
- 2
Disease process
Some diseases begin with changes at the molecular level.
- Phraseat the molecular level
in terms of very small chemical or biological processes
- 3
Biology studies
She decided to study molecular biology because she was interested in how cells work.
- 4
Medical testing
The hospital uses molecular testing to detect the virus as early as possible.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Research tools
New imaging tools let researchers observe molecular interactions in real time.
See also
Similar
- molecule-level
- molecule-based
Shades of meaning
- chemical
- microscopic
- nanoscopic
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- molecular biology
- molecular structure
- molecular weight
- molecular level
Word family
- molecule
- molecularly
Explore
- chemical bond
- biochemistry
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- molecularadjective