WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
met•a•bol•ic /ˌmɛtəˈbɑlɪk/USA pronunciation adj. [before a noun]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- of or relating to metabolism:a high metabolic rate.
met•a•bol•ic
(met′ə bol′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
met′a•bol′i•cal•ly, adv.
- of, pertaining to, or affected by metabolism.
- Biologyundergoing metamorphosis.
- Greek metabolikós changeable, equivalent. to metabol(é̄) (see metabolism) + -ikos -ic
- 1735–45
'metabolic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
anabolism
- catabolism
- cycle
- gout
- homeostasis
- hypothermia
- inhibitor
- metabolism
- metabolic syndrome
- pathway
- phenylketonuria
- raphide
- Reye's syndrome
- sleep
- thermogenesis
- thyroxine
- torpid
- tracer
- tyrosine
- umbilical cord
- ametabolic
- animal heat
- antimetabolite
- autophagia
- basal metabolic rate
- BMR
- cystinuria
- depot
- detoxification
- diapause
- dormant
- exogenous
- familial hypercholesterolemia
- GTP
- hemochromatosis
- liver
- metabolic heat
- metabolite
- omega-3 fatty acid
- predispose
- pyruvic acid
- toxic psychosis
- urea cycle
- sodium lactate
- storage disease