Meaning & use
meteorology
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The scientific study of the atmosphere, especially weather processes and forecasting.
Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or 'an'.
Patterns
- study meteorology
- a degree in meteorology
- the meteorology of a region
He earned a degree in meteorology and now works for a forecasting company.
Meteorology helps us understand how storms form and move.
Advances in meteorology have made weather forecasts much more accurate.
Common combinations
- applied meteorology
- Applied meteorology is used in agriculture and aviation.
- dynamic meteorology
- Dynamic meteorology studies the motion of the atmosphere.
- degree in meteorology
- She is pursuing a degree in meteorology at the state university.
- professor of meteorology
- The professor of meteorology gave a lecture on tornado formation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- atmospheric science
- A broader field that includes meteorology as well as the study of the upper atmosphere and climate.
Word family
- meteorologist noun
- A scientist who studies weather and the atmosphere.
- meteorological adjective
- Relating to meteorology or weather.
Commonly confused: meteorology or climatology? meteorology or astrology?
meteorology vs climatology
Climatology studies long-term climate patterns, while meteorology focuses on short-term weather.
meteorology vs astrology
Astrology is the belief that stars influence human affairs; meteorology is the science of weather.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'meteorology' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Meteorology' is the science of weather, so option 1 is correct. Option 2 is wrong because meteorology is not a physical feature. Option 3 is wrong because it is uncountable and not a physical object. Option 4 describes geology, not meteorology.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meteorology”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.