Meanings
comparative more katabolic · superlative most katabolic
- alternativeAlternative form of catabolic.
Expressed in biological formula, the habit of the plant is predominantly anabolic, that of the animal predominantly katabolic.
1907, William I. Thomas, Sex and Society1 more example
Compared with the female, the male animal is katabolic; he is active, impulsive, destructive, skilful, creative, intense, spasmodic, violent.
1912, Earl Barnes, Woman in Modern Society
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiverelating to or characterized by catabolism
adjectivecharacterized by destructive metabolism
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
katabolic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/katabolic
“katabolic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/katabolic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “katabolic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/katabolic.
Source: katabolic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.