molecule
noun
Simple meaning
A tiny piece of anything.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
mahluhkyoolSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmɑləkjul
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
nontechnical usage
A tiny piece of anything
chemistry
The smallest particle of a specific element or compound that retains the chemical properties of that element or compound; two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.
A tiny amount.
chemistryphysics and chemistry
The simplest structural unit of an element or compound
“Each water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything
Used this way, molecule is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in technical or specialist writing contexts.
- 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
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use molecule
- “Each water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.”noun
- “Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen atoms bonded together into a molecule.”
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A relatively long chain of atoms in a molecule.
A molecule that is a permanent dipole.
Any large molecule containing chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.
The molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Relating to or produced by or consisting of molecules.
The sum of the relative atomic masses of the constituent atoms of a molecule.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “molecule” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
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.