acetone

A1C3E1T1O1N1E1
US/ˈæ.sə.toʊn/

noun

A colourless, volatile, flammable liquid ketone, (CH₃)₂CO, used as a solvent.

Similar
propanonepropan-2-onedimethyl ketone
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounacetone (countable and uncountable, plural acetones)

plural acetones

  1. countableuncountablechemistryA colourless, volatile, flammable liquid ketone, (CH₃)₂CO, used as a solvent.

    You open the salon door and the acetone from yesterday’s manicures immediately stings my nostrils.

    2019, Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Jonathan Cape, page 81

    Synonyms: propanone, propan-2-one, dimethyl ketone

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA colourless, volatile, flammable liquid ketone, (CH₃)₂CO, used as a solvent.

Similar
propanonepropan-2-onedimethyl ketone

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe simplest ketone; a highly flammable liquid widely used as an organic solvent and as material for making plastics

Similar
propanonedimethyl ketone
Broader
ketonesolventdissolventdissolver
Also see
dimethyl ketonepropanone

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From acet- from acētum (“vinegar”). The -one was taken from margarone but further etymology is unclear. Doublet of ketone.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic أَسِيتُون
  • أَسِيتُون (ʔasitūn)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Bulgarian ацето́н
  • ацето́н (acetón)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Catalan acetona
  • acetonathe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Chinese Cantonese 丙酮, 醋酮
  • 丙酮the organic compound (CH3)2CO
  • 醋酮the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Chinese Mandarin 丙酮, 醋酮
  • 丙酮 (bǐngtóng)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
  • 醋酮 (cùtóng)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Czech aceton
  • acetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Danish acetone
  • acetonethe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Dutch aceton
  • acetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Esperanto acetono
  • acetonothe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Finnish asetoni
  • asetonithe organic compound (CH3)2CO
French acétone
  • acétonethe organic compound (CH3)2CO
German Aceton, Azeton
  • Acetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
  • Azetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
  • Propanonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
  • Dimethylketonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Greek ακετόνη
  • ακετόνη (aketóni)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Hebrew אצטון
  • אצטון (atsetón)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Hindi शुक्ता
  • शुक्ता (śuktā)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Hungarian aceton
  • acetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Icelandic asetón
  • asetónthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Indonesian aseton
  • asetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Irish aicéatón
  • aicéatónthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Italian acetone
  • acetonethe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Japanese アセトン
  • アセトン (aseton)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Korean 아세톤
  • 아세톤 (aseton)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Latvian acetons
  • acetonsthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Norwegian Bokmål aceton
  • acetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Persian استون
  • استون (asetôn)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Polish aceton
  • acetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Portuguese acetona
  • acetonathe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Romanian acetonă
  • acetonăthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Russian ацето́н
  • ацето́н (acetón)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Spanish acetona
  • acetonathe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Swedish aceton
  • acetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Tagalog asetona
  • asetonathe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Thai แอซีโทน
  • แอซีโทน (ae-si-thon)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Turkish aseton
  • asetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO
Ukrainian ацето́н
  • ацето́н (acetón)the organic compound (CH3)2CO
Vietnamese axeton
  • axetonthe organic compound (CH3)2CO

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

enotecaoceanet
Cite this entry
APA

acetone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acetone

MLA

“acetone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acetone. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acetone,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acetone.

Source: acetone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.