adjective / noun
industrial
in-DUS-tree-ul/ɪnˈdʌstriəl/
Connected with manufacturing goods in factories.
The factory hall contains industrial machinery, pipes, and production stations.
Etymology
Industria meant diligence or activity. The adjective shifted from describing what resulted from labor to describing manufacturing specifically, giving its modern connection with factories and large-scale production.
In context
he produced functionalist industrial buildings, which, as simple sheds for machinery and production, had no use of classical details.
More examples
- The city sets strict limits on industrial waste.
- Exposed pipes give the apartment an industrial look.
- The company ranks among the region's largest industrials.
- She invests in industrials alongside bank and technology stocks.
Forms
industrial · industrials
industry noun — manufacturing goods as an economic activity
industrialize verb — to develop manufacturing on a large scale
Similar words
- manufacturing
- Directly describes making goods rather than a factorylike appearance.
- commercial
- Concerns business and trade, not specifically production in factories.