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inorganic Definition

in·or·ganic (in′ôr ganik)

adjective

not organic; specif.,

  1. designating or composed of matter that is not animal or vegetable; not having the organized structure of living things
  2. not like an organism in structure; without design, relation, and coordination of parts
  3. designating or of any chemical compound not classified as organic: most inorganic compounds do not contain carbon and are derived from mineral sources
  4. designating or of the branch of chemistry dealing with these compounds

inorganic Related Forms
in′·or·gani·cally adverb
inorganic Synonyms

inorganic

modif.

mineral, inanimate, azoic, lithoidal, nonliving, without life, artificial, chemical.

Antonyms organic*, vegetable, animal.

inorganic Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • purely: Beeck's Silicate Masonry Paint is an exterior purely inorganic paint, free of artificial resins, solvents and biocides.
  • mainly: Research includes all kind of materials but mainly inorganic.

Modifies a noun

  • arsenic: A market basket survey of inorganic arsenic in food.
  • phosphate: The values of dissolved inorganic phosphate in January are comparable to those of the Atlantic input signal.
  • fertilizer: However, there are situations where the choice of inorganic fertilizers are thought to affect crop quality.
  • chemistry: The environmental impact of inorganic chemistry is also huge.
  • bromide: One lettuce sample contained inorganic bromide at levels 22 times the safety level [ 2 ] for young children.
  • fertilizer: Do not use inorganic fertilizers exclusively for years on end.

Used with adjective complement

  • dissolve: Elaine: Dissolved inorganic N and P have been analyzed.