petrochemical

American

[pe-troh-kem-i-kuhl] / ˌpɛ troʊˈkɛm ɪ kəl /

noun

a chemical substance obtained from petroleum or natural gas, as gasoline, kerosene, or petrolatum.

adjective

of or relating to petrochemistry or a petrochemical.

petrochemical British

/ ˌpɛtrəʊˈkɛmɪkəl /

noun

any substance, such as acetone or ethanol, obtained from petroleum or natural gas

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

of, concerned with, or obtained from petrochemicals or related to petrochemistry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

petrochemical Scientific

/ pĕt′rō-kĕm′ĭ-kəl /

Any of a large number of chemicals made from petroleum or natural gas. Important petrochemicals include benzene, ammonia, acetylene, and polystyrene. Petrochemicals are used to produce a wide variety of materials, such as plastics, explosives, fertilizers, and synthetic fibers.

petrochemical Cultural

Any material made from substances found in oil or natural gas. Most plastics are petrochemicals.

Other Word Forms

petrochemically adverb

Etymology

Origin of petrochemical

First recorded in 1910–15; petro- ² + chemical

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.

Semiconductor shipments—accounting for over a quarter of total exports—more than doubled from a year earlier to a record $25.16 billion in February, outweighing declines in auto, petrochemical and steel shipments, the data showed.

From The Wall Street Journal

Converting natural gas into flexible chemical intermediates could expand industrial options and gradually decrease reliance on traditional petrochemical feedstocks.

From Science Daily

Comparable sales in Honeywell’s Energy and Sustainability Solutions business dropped 7% year over year in the fourth quarter, with “petrochemical catalyst shipments coming in slightly below our expectations,” according to the company.

From Barron's

Ambani said the company, whose business spans sectors from petrochemicals to retail to telecom services, has an abundant supply of renewable energy available thanks to its solar projects.

From The Wall Street Journal

That includes Anew Material, a company making nail polish that it says is free of petrochemicals and microplastics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023