frictional

American  

[frik-shuh-nl] / ˈfrɪk ʃə nl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of friction.

2. moved, worked, or produced by friction.

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Other Word Forms

• frictionally adverb
• unfrictional adjective
• unfrictionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of frictional

First recorded in 1840–50; friction + -al ¹

Example Sentences

There’s a special, frictional magic to creative teamwork — Laurel and Hardy, Nichols and May, Powell and Pressburger, Rankin and Bass — amplified when the teammates are linked by blood.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

But, between those headline moments, injuries disrupted the start of her senior career, including a ruptured quadriceps in 2022 - while attempting to manage an often frictional relationship between her sporting ambition and studies.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

And bear in mind, those figures were attained using low-viscosity motor oil, to reduce frictional losses and maximize fuel economy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

A more recent trend, however, has been to investigate systems whose frictional response can be dynamically tuned in situ, especially as micro- and nanoscale devices become more common.

From Science Daily • Sep. 28, 2023

This was caused by little pieces of our heat shield burning up and coming off, as it was supposed to do, to protect us from the searing frictional heat.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins