nuclear physics

[noo-klee-er fiz-iks, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli ər ˈfɪz ɪks, ˈnyu- /

NOUN

atomic science

Synonyms

STRONGEST

particle physics quantum mechanics

WEAK

atomic physics atomics atomistics atomology nucleonics quantum physics

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This holds the same profound implications for defense and intelligence today as nuclear physics did 80 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

"Did it form by stripping the outside of a star, like 'normal' black widow systems are formed? Probably not, because nuclear physics does not make pure carbon."

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

It’s going from social media and crypto into nuclear physics.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

The experiment involved bombarding a thin sheet of gold foil with alpha particles, and earned Rutherford, from Bridgewater on New Zealand's South Island, the moniker the "father of nuclear physics".

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2025

The problem with the relativists is that they explain bad science and good science, phrenology and nuclear physics, in exactly the same way—advocates of ‘the strong programme’ explicitly insist on this equivalence.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton