chemically

chemically — adverb

1. describing an action, a process, or a property that relates to chemicals or to t

1.adverbB2
Definition

describing an action, a process, or a property that relates to chemicals or to the science of chemistry

Example

The soil was chemically tested before the farmers planted the new crop.

collocation: chemically tested [before use]

Theo's doctor explained that the medicine would chemically alter how his body processes sugar.

collocation: chemically alter [body function]

Common collocations
  • chemically react
  • chemically treat
  • chemically test
  • chemically alter
  • chemically similar
  • chemically different
  • chemically stable
  • chemically active
  • chemically bond

Usage Note

Most common with verbs describing laboratory or industrial processes: test, treat, react, alter, bind, or analyse. Also frequently paired with adjectives such as similar, different, stable, or active to describe a substance's properties from a chemistry perspective.

Common Mistakes

This food is chemically.
This food is chemically tested before sale.
chemically is an adverb, not an adjective; it must modify a verb or an adjective, not stand alone as a complement.

Word family

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from 'chemical' (from French 'chimique', from Latin 'chimicus', from Greek 'khēmikos' via 'khēmeia' meaning alchemy) plus the adverb-forming suffix '-ly', which turns adjectives into adverbs describing the manner or domain of an action.