anti-nuclear
|an-ti-nu-cle-ar|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈnuː.kli.ɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˈnjuː.klə/
against nuclear power/weapons
Etymology
'anti-nuclear' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') and 'nuclear' (from Latin 'nucleus', meaning 'kernel' or 'core').
'anti-' entered English via Latin/Greek usage as a productive prefix meaning 'against'; 'nuclear' derives from Latin 'nucleus', passed into New Latin and then into modern English as 'nuclear' (relating to a nucleus). The compound 'anti-nuclear' arose in the 20th century in contexts discussing atomic energy and weapons.
Initially the components meant 'against' + 'kernel/core'; as 'nuclear' came to denote atomic nucleus and technologies (nuclear power/weapons), 'anti-nuclear' came to mean 'opposed to nuclear power or nuclear weapons.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person or group that is opposed to nuclear power or nuclear weapons; a member of the anti-nuclear movement.
The anti-nuclears organized a march in the city center.
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Adjective 1
opposed to the use of nuclear power or the development/use of nuclear weapons.
She is strongly anti-nuclear and joined protests against the new power plant.
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Last updated: 2025/11/09 20:38