Standard Lemma guide

magnetism

noun · 6 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.

  • UK: mägnĕtĭzm
  • UK: /ˈmæɡ.nəˌtɪz.əm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AE1 G N AH0 T IH2 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The property of being magnetic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The science which treats of magnetic phenomena.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Power of attraction; power to excite the feelings and to gain the affections.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Animal magnetism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the branch of science that studies magnetism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: magnetics

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: geophysics, geophysical science

6

noun

Meaning 6

attraction for iron; associated with electric currents as well as magnets; characterized by fields of force

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: magnetic attraction, magnetic force

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attraction, attractive force

Narrower terms: electromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, diamagnetism, ferromagnetism, paramagnetism

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Old French magnetebor. Pre-Greekbor.? Ancient Greek Μάγνης (Mágnēs) Ancient Greek μᾰ́γνης (mắgnēs)bor. Latin magnēsbor. Middle English magnete English magnet Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English magnetism From magnet + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

82 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: magnetizëm — the property of being magnetic
  • Arabic: مِغْنَاطِيسِيَّة (miḡnāṭīsiyya) — the property of being magnetic
  • Arabic: مَغْنَاطِيسِيَّة (maḡnāṭīsiyya) — the property of being magnetic
  • Armenian: մագնիսականություն (magnisakanutʻyun) — the property of being magnetic
  • Asturian: magnetismu — the property of being magnetic
  • Azerbaijani: maqnetizm — the property of being magnetic
  • Basque: magnetismo — the property of being magnetic
  • Belarusian: магнеты́зм (mahnjetýzm) — the property of being magnetic
  • Belarusian: магнэты́зм (mahnetýzm) — the property of being magnetic
  • Bengali: চুম্বকত্ব (cumbokotto) — the property of being magnetic
  • Bulgarian: магнети́зъм (magnetízǎm) — the property of being magnetic
  • Catalan: magnetisme — the property of being magnetic
  • Chinese Mandarin: 磁性 (cíxìng) — the property of being magnetic
  • Crimean Tatar: mıqnatislik — the property of being magnetic
  • Crimean Tatar: magnetizm — the property of being magnetic
  • Czech: magnetismus — the property of being magnetic
  • Danish: magnetisme — the property of being magnetic
  • Dutch: magnetisme — the property of being magnetic
  • Esperanto: magnetismo — the property of being magnetic
  • Estonian: magnetism — the property of being magnetic
  • Faroese: magnetisma — the property of being magnetic
  • Finnish: magnetismi — the property of being magnetic
  • French: magnétisme — the property of being magnetic
  • Galician: magnetismo — the property of being magnetic
  • Georgian: მაგნეტიზმი (magneṭizmi) — the property of being magnetic
  • German: Magnetismus — the property of being magnetic
  • Greek: μαγνητισμός (magnitismós) — the property of being magnetic
  • Hebrew: מַגְנֵטִיּוּת (magnétiut) — the property of being magnetic
  • Hindi: चुंबकत्व (cumbakatva) — the property of being magnetic
  • Hungarian: mágnesesség — the property of being magnetic
  • Icelandic: segulmagn — the property of being magnetic
  • Indonesian: magnetik — the property of being magnetic
  • Irish: maighnéadas — the property of being magnetic
  • Irish: adhmainteas — the property of being magnetic
  • Italian: magnetismo — the property of being magnetic
  • Japanese: 磁気 (jiki) — the property of being magnetic
  • Japanese: 磁性 (jisei) — the property of being magnetic
  • Kazakh: магнетизм (magnetizm) — the property of being magnetic
  • Korean: 자기 (jagi) — the property of being magnetic
  • Kyrgyz: магнетизм (magnetizm) — the property of being magnetic
  • Latin: magnētismus — the property of being magnetic
  • Latvian: magnētisms — the property of being magnetic
  • Lithuanian: magnetizmas — the property of being magnetic
  • Macedonian: магнети́зам (magnetízam) — the property of being magnetic
  • Malay: kemagnetan — the property of being magnetic
  • Malay: magnetisme — the property of being magnetic
  • Norman: manniétisme — the property of being magnetic
  • Norwegian Bokmål: magnetisme — the property of being magnetic
  • Pashto: مقناطيسيت (maqnātisyat) — the property of being magnetic
  • Persian: مغناطیس (maġnâtis) — the property of being magnetic
  • Polish: magnetyczność — the property of being magnetic
  • Portuguese: magnetismo — the property of being magnetic
  • Romanian: magnetism — the property of being magnetic
  • Russian: магнети́зм (magnetízm) — the property of being magnetic
  • Sardinian: magnetismu — the property of being magnetic
  • Serbo-Croatian: магнетѝзам — the property of being magnetic
  • Serbo-Croatian: magnetìzam — the property of being magnetic
  • Sicilian: magnetismu — the property of being magnetic
  • Slovak: magnetizmus — the property of being magnetic
  • Slovene: magnetizem — the property of being magnetic
  • Spanish: magnetismo — the property of being magnetic
  • Swahili: usumaku — the property of being magnetic
  • Swedish: magnetism — the property of being magnetic
  • Tagalog: kabalnian — the property of being magnetic
  • Tagalog: balnian — the property of being magnetic
  • Telugu: అయస్కాంతత్వము (ayaskāntatvamu) — the property of being magnetic
  • Thai: ความเป็นแม่เหล็ก (kwaam-bpen-mɛ̂ɛ-lèk) — the property of being magnetic
  • Turkish: manyetizma — the property of being magnetic
  • Turkmen: magnetizm — the property of being magnetic
  • Ukrainian: магнети́зм (mahnetýzm) — the property of being magnetic
  • Urdu: مِقناطِیسِیَّت (miqnātīsiyyat) — the property of being magnetic
  • Uzbek: magnetizm — the property of being magnetic
  • Vietnamese: từ tính — the property of being magnetic
  • Vietnamese: tính từ — the property of being magnetic
  • Bulgarian: магнети́зъм (magnetízǎm) — science which treats of magnetic phenomena
  • Chinese Mandarin: 磁學 /磁学 (cíxué) — science which treats of magnetic phenomena
  • German: Magnetismus — science which treats of magnetic phenomena
  • Polish: magnetyzm — science which treats of magnetic phenomena
  • Bulgarian: привлека́телност (privlekátelnost) — power of attraction; power to excite the feelings
  • Bulgarian: магнети́чност (magnetíčnost) — power of attraction; power to excite the feelings
  • German: Anziehungskraft — power of attraction; power to excite the feelings
  • Polish: magnetyzm — power of attraction; power to excite the feelings
Real reading context

magnetism in complete knowledge articles