electromagnetic
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of, containing, or operated by an electromagnet
an electromagnetic pump
-
of, relating to, or consisting of electromagnetism
electromagnetic moment
-
of or relating to electromagnetic radiation
the electromagnetic spectrum
Other Word Forms
- electromagnetically adverb
Etymology
Origin of electromagnetic
Explanation
The adjective electromagnetic describes a powerful natural force that's caused by an electrical charge. Objects that have an electromagnetic charge act like ordinary magnets, attracting and repelling other objects — but the source of their magnetism is an electric current flowing inside them. Electromagnetic, a combination of electric and magnetic, dates from the 1820s, soon after the force itself was discovered by a Danish scientist who noticed a magnetic compass needle moving when it was close to a live electric wire.
Vocabulary lists containing electromagnetic
Waves and Wave Properties - Introductory
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Waves and Wave Properties - Middle School
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Electricity and Magnetism - Introductory
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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.
Israeli and American forces have enjoyed superior control of the electromagnetic spectrum—the radio frequencies, GPS signals and radar bands over which communications, navigation and targeting operate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
And unlike classical bits, qubits are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment—anything from heat to electromagnetic interference—that can throw their fragile quantum states into disarray and cause a computer to malfunction.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
Egils Lescinskis, Latvian deputy chief of the Joint Staff, said the drone "most likely veered off course or was affected by electromagnetic warfare measures protecting some technically important objects".
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Terahertz radiation sits between microwaves and infrared light on the electromagnetic spectrum.
From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026
In the room, a female graduate student evidently immune to the smell sat working on a spectrograph, an instrument for measuring electromagnetic radiation.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
