Phrase guide

oxidation number

noun · 2 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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The hypothetical charge of an atom within a molecule.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the degree of oxidation of an atom or ion or molecule; for simple atoms or ions the oxidation number is equal to the ionic charge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the oxidation number of hydrogen is +1 and of oxygen is -2

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: oxidation state

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: number

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 氧化數 /氧化数 (yǎnghuàshù) — chemistry
  • Czech: oxidační číslo — chemistry
  • Danish: oxidationstal — chemistry
  • Dutch: oxidatiegetal — chemistry
  • Finnish: hapetusluku — chemistry
  • French: nombre d’oxydation — chemistry
  • German: Oxidationszahl — chemistry
  • Indonesian: bilangan oksidasi — chemistry
  • Swedish: oxidationstal — chemistry
  • Tagalog: bilang ng sadagisik — chemistry