sulfur
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A chemical element with atomic number 16, having a bright yellow color and characteristic smell.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
suhlferSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsʌlfɚ
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
uncountable
A chemical element with atomic number 16, having a bright yellow color and characteristic smell, used commercially in a variety of products such as insecticides, black powder, and matchsticks.
countableuncountable
A yellowish green colour, like that of sulfur.
adjective
Having a characteristic sulfur-like smell, reminiscent of rotten eggs.
Of a yellowish green colour, like that of sulfur.
verb
transitive
To treat with sulfur, or a sulfur compound, especially to preserve or to counter agricultural pests.
Treat with sulphur in order to preserve
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A chemical element with atomic number 16, having a bright yellow color and characteristic smell, used commercially in a variety of products such as insecticides, black powder, and matchsticks.
Used this way, sulfur 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.
More ways to use sulfur
- “Some hot springs have a strong smell of sulfur, like rotten eggs.”noun
Share your sentence
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
Knowing “sulfur” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
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.