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toluene

A colorless, flammable liquid hydrocarbon used primarily as an industrial solvent and in the production of plastics.

[U] Uncountable

This term carries a clinical, industrial connotation associated with chemistry labs and manufacturing plants. It evokes the smell of strong paint thinners or nail polish remover, signaling a hazardous or volatile environment.

In professional contexts, it is treated as a precise chemical identifier. In casual or street contexts, it is often associated with the dangerous inhalation of solvents, giving it a negative or cautionary undertone.

Used to describe the chemical substance in bulk, such as when measuring a volume of toluene in a beaker.

Meanings

Noun

A colorless, flammable liquid hydrocarbon used primarily as an industrial solvent and in the production of plastics.

The lab technician used toluene to dissolve the organic residue.

Examples

Toluene is commonly used as a solvent for paints and lacquers.

Make sure the toluene is stored in a fireproof cabinet.

Office

The strong smell of toluene filled the entire workshop.

We need to replace the toluene in the cleaning bath.

Is this mixture soluble in toluene?

School Life

Toluene can cause dizziness if inhaled in large quantities.

Health

The chemist carefully measured ten milliliters of toluene.

School Life

I wonder if toluene would be a better solvent for this resin.

The industrial plant produces toluene as a byproduct of petroleum refining.

Business

Last Updated: May 2026•Report an Error