metabolic

metabolic — adjective

  • metabolicpositive
  • more metaboliccomparative
  • most metabolicsuperlative

1. relating to the way a living body uses food to create energy and to grow or repa

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to the way a living body uses food to create energy and to grow or repair itself

Example

The doctor checked Linh's metabolic rate to see how fast her body uses energy.

metabolic rate — the speed at which the body burns energy

A balanced diet supports healthy metabolic processes that keep your energy levels stable.

metabolic processes — the chemical reactions in the body

Common collocations
  • metabolic rate
  • metabolic process
  • metabolic health
  • metabolic disorder
  • metabolic syndrome
  • metabolic function
  • metabolic pathway
Synonyms
  • biochemical

    broader — covers all chemical processes in living things, not just energy conversion

  • physiological

    broader still — refers to any normal body function, not only chemical reactions

Usage Note

Most often used before nouns like "rate", "process", "health", and "syndrome". The related noun "metabolism" is more common in everyday conversation (e.g., "I have a slow metabolism"). When describing something that affects the body's energy use, "metabolic" is the standard adjective.

Common Mistakes

I have a fast metabolic.
I have a fast metabolism.
"Metabolic" is an adjective, not a noun; use "metabolism" to talk about the body's energy-burning system.
Metabolic rate is slow for older people.
Older people tend to have a slower metabolic rate.
The body's owner should be stated clearly (my, her, the patient's) rather than left implied.

Word family

  • metabolism
    nounB2
  • metabolize
    verbC1
  • metabolizable
    adjectiveC1
  • metabolically
    adverbC1
  • metabolite
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

"Metabolic" refers specifically to the chemical reactions that convert food into energy and building materials for the body. "Biochemical" is broader — it covers all chemical processes in living organisms, including DNA replication and protein synthesis, not just energy conversion. "Physiological" is wider still, encompassing any normal body function or process, such as heart rate and digestion. "Organic" can relate to living things but is far more general and often used for carbon-based chemistry or food production methods. For example: doctors measure a patient's "metabolic rate" (not biochemical rate); a study on "physiological responses to exercise" includes metabolic changes but also heart rate, breathing, and temperature regulation.

metabolic ↗biochemical ↗physiological ↗organic ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • metabolically

Phrases

  • basal metabolic rate
  • metabolic equivalent of task

Etymology

GreekGermanEnglish

From Greek "metabolē" (change, turning about) + the English adjective suffix "-ic". The Greek root comes from "meta-" (change) and "ballein" (to throw). The word entered scientific English in the mid-19th century through German biological writings on the chemical changes that sustain life.

First known use

1841

1841, in the meaning defined above