metalloid

1 of 2

noun

met·​al·​loid ˈme-tə-ˌlȯid How to pronounce metalloid (audio)
1
: an element intermediate in properties between the typical metals and nonmetals
2
: a nonmetal that can combine with a metal to form an alloy
variants or less commonly metalloidal
1
: resembling a metal
2
: of, relating to, or being a metalloid

Examples of metalloid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
While its 167°F temperature prohibits swimming, visitors can admire the pool’s technicolor beauty that ranges from fluorescent blue-green waters to a neon orange ring of metalloid deposits. Condé Nast Traveller, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Dec. 2023 Germanium is a hard, grayish-white and brittle metalloid that is used in the production of optical fibers that can transmit light and electronic data. Laura He, CNN, 11 Oct. 2023 The younger generation is ably represented by Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/the Flash, who relishes his role as the team’s lightning-limbed goofball, and also by Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg, whose brooding metalloid stare bespeaks an unusually rough backstory. Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2021 Prices for the purified metalloid have touched $25.88 a kilogram, from $6.19 less than a year ago, according to PVInsights. Compiled Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2021 The insatiable shared appetite for this miracle metalloid keeps the inhabitants of Telluria locked in a frenzied stasis, glimpsing—but never truly knowing—salvation. Aaron Timms, The New Republic, 2 Sep. 2022 As a metalloid, silicon behaves like both metals and nonmetals. David Lumb, Popular Mechanics, 9 Dec. 2020 As a lethal toxin, the discrete and deadly metalloid became the weapon of choice for those looking to quietly dispose of anyone standing in their way. Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, 4 Oct. 2020 For decades, women flocked to their nearest drugstores and ordered tins of the wafers in masses, swallowing their false promises of beauty right alongside the poisonous metalloid. Gabby Shacknai, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metalloid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of metalloid was in 1813

Dictionary Entries Near metalloid

Cite this Entry

“Metalloid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metalloid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

metalloid

noun
met·​al·​loid
ˈmet-ᵊl-ˌȯid
: an element that has some characteristics of metals and some of nonmetals
metalloid adjective

Medical Definition

metalloid

1 of 2 noun
met·​al·​loid ˈmet-ᵊl-ˌȯid How to pronounce metalloid (audio)
: an element (as boron, silicon, or arsenic) intermediate in properties between the typical metals and nonmetals

metalloid

2 of 2 adjective
variants also metalloidal
1
: resembling a metal
2
: of, relating to, or being a metalloid

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