crystal
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A solid material where atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kristuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɹɪstəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countable
A solid composed of an array of atoms or molecules possessing long-range order and arranged in a pattern which is periodic in three dimensions.
countable
A piece of glimmering, shining mineral resembling ice or glass.
uncountable
A fine type of glassware, or the material used to make it.
The glass over the dial of a watch case.
A ghost town in Gunnison County, Colorado.
uncountableslang
Crystal meth; methamphetamine hydrochloride.
adjective
figuratively
Very clear; coherent.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A solid composed of an array of atoms or molecules possessing long-range order and arranged in a pattern which is periodic in three dimensions.
Used this way, crystal is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use crystal
- “The vase is made of beautiful, sparkling crystal.”noun
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.