energy
noun
Simple meaning
The power that makes things work or move, or a person's strength to do things.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehnerjeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɛnɚdʒi
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
physics
A thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
“Energy can take a wide variety of forms.”
A healthy capacity for vigorous activity
“Jogging works off my excess energy.”
physics
A quantity that denotes the ability to do work and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance²/time² (ML²/T²) or the equivalent.
The impetus behind all motion and all activity.
An intangible, modifiable force (usually characterized as either 'positive' or 'negative') believed in some New Age religions to emanate from a person, place or thing and which is (or can be) preserved and transferred in human interactions; shared mood or group habit.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
Used this way, energy is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
“Energy can take a wide variety of forms.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- vigor , used mainly in Regional English
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Thermodynamic / quantitynoun
“Energy can take a wide variety of forms.”
Healthynoun
“Jogging works off my excess energy.”
More ways to use energy
- “Energy can take a wide variety of forms.”noun
- “Jogging works off my excess energy.”noun
- “He plays tennis with great energy.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The person who holds the secretaryship of the Department of Energy.
A definite stable energy that a physical system can have.
A unit of measurement for work.
Occurring with absorption of energy.
The federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States.
A definite stable energy that a physical system can have.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Possessing or exerting or displaying energy.
Someone who imparts energy and vitality and spirit to other people.
The activity of causing to have energy and be active.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- radiationnoun
- electricitynoun
- nuclearadjective
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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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.