inorganic

American  

[in-awr-gan-ik] / ˌɪn ɔrˈgæn ɪk /

adjective

1. not having the structure or organization characteristic of living bodies.

2. not characterized by vital processes.

3. Chemistry. noting or pertaining to compounds that are not hydrocarbons or their derivatives.

4. not fundamental or related; extraneous.

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inorganic British  

/ ˌɪnɔːˈɡænɪk /

adjective

1. not having the structure or characteristics of living organisms; not organic

2. relating to or denoting chemical compounds that do not contain carbon Compare organic

3. not having a system, structure, or ordered relation of parts; amorphous

4. not resulting from or produced by growth; artificial

5. linguistics denoting or relating to a sound or letter introduced into the pronunciation or spelling of a word at some point in its history

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inorganic Scientific  

/ ĭn′ôr-găn′ĭk /

1. Not involving organisms or the products of their life processes.

2. Relating to chemical compounds that occur mainly outside of living or once living organisms, such as those in rocks, minerals, and ceramics. Most inorganic compounds lack carbon, such as salt (NaCl) and ammonia (NH ₃); a few, such as carbon dioxide (CO ₂), do contain it, but never attached to hydrogen atoms as in hydrocarbons. Inorganic molecules tend to have a relatively small number of atoms as compared with organic molecules.

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Other Word Forms

• inorganically adverb

Etymology

Origin of inorganic

First recorded in 1785–95; in- ³ + organic

Example Sentences

They can be made from a mix of organic and inorganic components and are often less expensive to produce.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Biologically and linguistically, our two species couldn’t be more different: This seemingly inorganic walking sculpture from the planet Erid communicates in a mix of whale song and stomps.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Robin Washington, Salesforce’s chief financial and operating officer, added that the buyback doesn’t prevent the company from pursuing accretive inorganic growth opportunities, which could include M&A.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

They also measure the total dissolved solids, which is the combined contents of all organic and inorganic substances, such as minerals, in water.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

His left hand, motionless on the armrest, with a fresh, unlighted cigarette between the fingers, looked oddly white and inorganic in the brilliant sunlight.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger