catabolic

American  

[kat-uh-bol-ik] / ˌkæt əˈbɒl ɪk /

adjective

Biology, Physiology.

1. involving or stimulating the breakdown of complex substances into simpler ones as part of the process of metabolism in living organisms (opposed to anabolic).

   The protein catabolic rate is the rate at which proteins break down in the body.

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Other Word Forms

• catabolically adverb

Etymology

Origin of catabolic

catabol(ism) ( def. ) + -ic

Example Sentences

This is both an anabolic and a catabolic process.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The digestible carbohydrates in an animal’s diet are converted to glucose molecules through a series of catabolic chemical reactions.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Physical exercise involves both catabolic and anabolic processes.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Physical exercise involves both anabolic and catabolic processes.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

She has, if you please, become temporarily catabolic.

From A Short History of Women's Rights From the Days of Augustus to the Present Time. with Special Reference to England and the United States. Second Edition Revised, With Additions. by Hecker, Eugene Arthur