fissionable

adjective

fis·​sion·​able ˈfi-shə-nə-bəl  -zhə- 

ˈfish-nə-,

ˈfizh-

: fissile sense 2

fissionability

ˌfi-shə-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

-zhə-;

ˌfish-nə-

ˌfizh-

noun

Examples of fissionable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These contain enriched uranium, which is high in the fissionable isotope uranium-235. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2024

Its composition varies, but for power generation, a typical mix contains slightly less than 20 percent by mass of the highly fissionable isotope uranium-235 (U-235). —IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2024

In May the National Nuclear Security Administration released an investigation about four 2021 incidents: one criticality safety violation, one breach that resulted in skin contamination for three workers, and two flooding events that sent water toward fissionable materials. —Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023

The incidents included two separate floods, a glovebox breach, and an instance in which an unsafe amount of fissionable material was placed in a dropbox. —Time, 24 July 2023

Yet something was leaving Oak Ridge: Uranium 235, the fissionable isotope of the heaviest naturally occurring element on the planet. —Denise Kiernan, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2023

The most important step was separating the fissionable material from the conventional high explosives that trigger the nuclear reaction. —Phil Hoover, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2012

The optimum would be to toss into the stream of discussion an AI outlier comment that would get everyone to go full-on fissionable red hot. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 July 2022

Eisenhower proposed that governments make contributions from their stockpiles of uranium and fissionable materials to an international atomic-energy agency. —Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

fission entry 1 + -able

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fissionable

adjective

fis·​sion·​able ˈfish-(ə-)nə-bəl 

ˈfizh-

: capable of going through fission

fissionable material

Medical Definition

fissionable

adjective

fis·​sion·​able ˈfish-(ə-)nə-bəl  ˈfizh- 

: capable of undergoing fission and especially atomic fission