Meaning & use
exothermic
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Describing a chemical reaction or process that releases heat into its surroundings.
Grammar: Used before a noun (exothermic reaction) or after a linking verb (The reaction is exothermic).
Patterns
- exothermic reaction
- exothermic process
- highly exothermic
Burning wood is an exothermic reaction because it gives off heat.
The neutralization of an acid with a base is exothermic and warms the mixture.
In an exothermic process, the products have less energy than the reactants.
adjectivenot comparablebiology
Of an animal: generating heat internally to maintain a body temperature above the environment.
Grammar: Used before nouns like animal or metabolism; contrasts with ectothermic.
Patterns
- exothermic animal
- exothermic metabolism
Birds and mammals are exothermic animals that regulate their own body temperature.
The exothermic metabolism of the creature allows it to stay active in cold water.
Common combinations
- exothermic reaction
- The exothermic reaction caused the test tube to feel hot.
- highly exothermic
- The combustion of gasoline is highly exothermic.
- exothermic process
- Condensation is an exothermic process that releases heat.
- exothermic and endothermic
- Students compared exothermic and endothermic reactions in the lab.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heat-releasing
- A plain description; exothermic is the standard scientific term.
Opposites
Word family
- exothermically adverb
- In a way that releases heat.
- exotherm noun
- A curve or peak showing heat release, especially in chemistry.
Commonly confused: exothermic or endothermic? exothermic or exothermal?
exothermic vs endothermic
Endothermic reactions absorb heat, while exothermic reactions release it.
exothermic vs exothermal
Exothermal is a less common variant of exothermic; both mean heat-releasing.
Practice
When you mix calcium chloride with water, the mixture gets noticeably warmer. This is an example of an ______ reaction.
Choose one answer.
Exothermic means heat is released, which explains the warming. Endothermic would mean heat is absorbed and the mixture would cool. Exotic means foreign, and exoteric means open to the public.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exothermic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.