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silicone

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

siluhkohn

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsɪləkoʊn

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. chemistry

    Any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures; used in lubricants and adhesives and coatings and synthetic rubber and electrical insulation

  2. chemistry

    Any of a class of inert, semi-inorganic polymeric compounds (polysiloxanes), that have a wide range of thermal stability and extreme water repellence, used in a very wide range of industrial applications, and in prosthetic replacements for body parts.

verb

  1. informaltransitive

    To enhance or reconstruct (a body part) with a prosthesis containing silicone.

  2. transitive

    To join or treat (something) with a silicone-based product.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
General and technical use

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures; used in lubricants and adhesives and coatings and synthetic rubber and electrical insulation

Used this way, silicone 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.

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.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Large / class

silicone oilsilicone resinsilicone fluid

Having had cosmetic surgery, especially breast enlargement

silicone breastliquid silicone

Other combinations

silicone rubbersilicone gelsilicone grease

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • silicone polymernounCompound term

    Any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures.

  • silicone resinnounCompound term

    A polymeric silicone compound.

  • silicone rubbernounCompound term

    Made from silicone elastomers.

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.