platinum
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The chemical element with atomic number 78 and symbol Pt.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
platnuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈplætnəm
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
musiccountable
A single or album that has achieved platinum sales, i.e. over 1 million or 2 million.
The chemical element with atomic number 78 and symbol Pt; a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, silverish-white transition metal of great value.
A whitish grey colour, like that of the metal.
adjective
Of a musical recording that has sold over one million copies (for singles), or two million (for albums).
Of a whitish grey colour, like that of the metal.
Very expensive, or of very high quality
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A single or album that has achieved platinum sales, i.e. over 1 million or 2 million.
Used this way, platinum is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. This is a musical use: it is everyday language among musicians and listeners, and specialised outside that.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Successful and accomplished
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Where it naturally appears
- Music/performance
- Arts writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use platinum
- “Her engagement ring features a stunning diamond set in platinum.”
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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 fine black powder of platinum.
A blond whose hair is a pale silvery (often artificially colored) blond.
A blond whose hair is a pale silvery (often artificially colored) blond.
Thermometer that measures temperature by changes in the resistance of a spiral of platinum wire.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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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.