Meanings
nounnitrile (countable and uncountable, plural nitriles)
plural nitriles
- countableuncountablechemistryAny of a class of organic compounds containing a cyano functional group −C≡N; they are named as derivatives of the appropriate carboxylic acid.
- countableuncountableA type of synthetic rubber formed by the copolymerization of acrylonitrile and butadiene: nitrile rubber.
Sitting in a box under my bed are the nitrile gloves that I bought to practise with my forensic kit.
2021, Ben Aaronovitch, What Abigail Did That Summer, Gollancz, page 96
Synonyms & antonyms
nounany of a class of organic compounds containing the cyano radical -CN
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Clipping of benzonitrile, which contains the −C≡N group. Benzonitrile was discovered and named by Hermann Fehling in 1844.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan nitril
- nitrilclass of organic compounds
Chinese Cantonese 腈
- 腈 (cing¹)class of organic compounds
Chinese Mandarin 腈
- 腈 (jīng)class of organic compounds
Finnish nitriili
- nitriiliclass of organic compounds
French nitrile
- nitrileclass of organic compounds
German Nitril
- Nitrilclass of organic compounds
Hungarian nitril
- nitrilclass of organic compounds
Irish nítríl
- nítrílclass of organic compounds
Italian nitrile
- nitrileclass of organic compounds
Japanese ニトリル
- ニトリル (nitoriru)class of organic compounds
Korean 니트릴
- 니트릴 (niteuril)class of organic compounds
Polish nitryl
- nitrylclass of organic compounds
Portuguese nitrila, nitrilo
- nitrilaclass of organic compounds
- nitriloclass of organic compounds
Russian нитри́л
- нитри́л (nitríl)class of organic compounds
Spanish nitrilo
- nitriloclass of organic compounds
Turkish nitril
- nitrilclass of organic compounds
Cite this entry
APA
nitrile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nitrile
MLA
“nitrile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nitrile. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nitrile,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nitrile.
Source: nitrile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.