Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun free_radical

1 sense of free radical

Sense 1
free radical, radical -- (an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule; "in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells")
       => atom -- ((physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element)