name · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/tʃɜːˈnɒbəl/
Received-Pronunciation:/tʃɜːˈnəʊbəl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/t͡ʃɚˈnoʊbəl/
rhymes with -ɒbəl
rhymes with -əʊbəl
CMU ARPABET:CH ER0 N OW1 B AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
A partially abandoned city and ghost town in northern Ukraine, known as the site of a nuclear disaster.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
name
Meaning 2
The 1986 nuclear accident which resulted in the abandonment of the aforementioned city.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Examples
After Chernobyl, very few nuclear power plants were built for years.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
name
Meaning 3
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the location where the accident occurred.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Although it no longer produces electricity, many people still work at Chernobyl decommissioning the plant.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A major nuclear-energy accident.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a city in north central Ukraine; site of a major disaster at a nuclear power plant (26 April 1986)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: city, metropolis, urban center
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian Черно́быль (Černóbylʹ). Ultimately from Russian чернобыль meaning "mugwort" or "wormwood".
Across languages
Translations
56 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
تْشِيرْنُوبِيل
(tširnūbil)
— city in Ukraine
Armenian:
Չեռնոբիլ
(Čʻeṙnobil)
— city in Ukraine
Basque:
Txernobyl
— city in Ukraine
Belarusian:
Чарно́быль
(Čarnóbylʹ)
— city in Ukraine
Bengali:
চেরনোবিল
(cernōbil)
— city in Ukraine
Bulgarian:
Черно́бил
(Černóbil)
— city in Ukraine
Catalan:
Txernòbil
— city in Ukraine
Chinese Mandarin:
切爾諾貝利 /切尔诺贝利
(Qiè'ěrnuòbèilì)
— city in Ukraine
Crimean Tatar:
Çornobıl
— city in Ukraine
Czech:
Černobyl
— city in Ukraine
Danish:
Tjernobyl
— city in Ukraine
Esperanto:
Ĉernobilo
— city in Ukraine
Estonian:
Tšornobõl
— city in Ukraine
Finnish:
Tšernobyl
— city in Ukraine
French:
Tchernobyl
— city in Ukraine
Georgian:
ჩერნობილი
(černobili)
— city in Ukraine
German:
Tschernobyl
— city in Ukraine
German:
Tschornobyl
— city in Ukraine
Greek:
Τσερνόμπιλ
(Tsernómpil)
— city in Ukraine
Hebrew:
צ׳רנוביל
— city in Ukraine
Hindi:
चेरनोबिल
(cernobil)
— city in Ukraine
Hungarian:
Csernobil
— city in Ukraine
Italian:
Černobyl'
— city in Ukraine
Italian:
Cernobil
— city in Ukraine
Italian:
Čornobyl'
— city in Ukraine
Japanese:
チョルノーブィリ
(Chorunōbuiri)
— city in Ukraine
Japanese:
チェルノブイリ
(Cherunobuiri)
— city in Ukraine
Korean:
체르노빌
(Chereunobil)
— city in Ukraine
Latin:
Czernobela
— city in Ukraine
Lithuanian:
Černobylis
— city in Ukraine
Macedonian:
Че́рнобил
(Čérnobil)
— city in Ukraine
Marathi:
चेरनोबिल
(cernobil)
— city in Ukraine
Norwegian:
Tsjernobyl
— city in Ukraine
Norwegian Nynorsk:
Tsjernobyl
— city in Ukraine
Old Ruthenian:
Чорнобыль
(Čornobylʹ)
— city in Ukraine
Polish:
Czarnobyl
— city in Ukraine
Portuguese:
Chernobyl
— city in Ukraine
Portuguese:
Chernobil
— city in Ukraine
Portuguese:
Tchernóbil
— city in Ukraine
Russian:
Черно́быль
(Černóbylʹ)
— city in Ukraine
Samogitian:
Černuobīlis
— city in Ukraine
Serbo-Croatian:
Чернобиљ
— city in Ukraine
Serbo-Croatian:
Чернобил
— city in Ukraine
Serbo-Croatian:
Černobilj
— city in Ukraine
Serbo-Croatian:
Černobil
— city in Ukraine
Slovak:
Černobyľ
— city in Ukraine
Slovene:
Černobil
— city in Ukraine
Spanish:
Chernóbyl
— city in Ukraine
Spanish:
Chernóbil
— city in Ukraine
Swedish:
Tjernobyl
— city in Ukraine
Tatar:
Чирнүбел
(Çirnübel)
— city in Ukraine
Tatar:
Каранәремле
(Qaranäremle)
— city in Ukraine
Turkish:
Çernobil
— city in Ukraine
Ukrainian:
Чорно́биль
(Čornóbylʹ)
— city in Ukraine
