Skip to content

element

/ˈɛləmənt/noun3 syllables

Element means: an abstract part of something.

Synonyms for element7

noun, as in an abstract part of something

component, constituent, factor, ingredient

noun, as in an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system

component, constituent

noun, as in any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter

chemical element

also used for element

elementary substance, member

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does element mean?7

noun

1

an abstract part of something“jealousy was a component of his character”

2

an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system“spare components for cars”

3

any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter

4

the most favorable environment for a plant or animal“water is the element of fishes”

5

one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe“the alchemists believed that there were four elements”

6

the situation in which you are happiest and most effective“in your element”

7

a straight line that generates a cylinder or cone

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Element in a sentence

  • Chess is entirely a game of skill, but backgammon includes an element of chance.CM
  • Unigrams, as distinct from bigrams and trigrams, consist of precisely one element.becky82
  • When all is said and done, the most precious element in life is wonder.CM
  • They have us out-gunned, but we'll have the element of surprise.darinmex
  • We'll have the element of surprise on our side.CK
  • She is in her element when it comes to tennis.orcrist
  • The story has in it something of the element of tragedy.unknown
  • This is an interesting case where there is no principal determining element.unknown

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of element

as a noun

plural
elements