caloric

1 of 2

noun

ca·​lo·​ric kə-ˈlȯr-ik 

1

: a supposed form of matter formerly held responsible for the phenomena of heat and combustion

2

archaic : heat

caloric

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of or relating to heat

2

: of, relating to, or containing calories

calorically

kə-ˈlȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of caloric in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Astronauts provided input on the menu, which was designed to meet their caloric needs and personal tastes. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026

Your metabolism revs up, and your caloric needs increase slightly. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 25 Feb. 2026

Adjective

The drinks attract younger women, typically age 16 to 35, and are aimed at health-conscious customers that don’t want Swig’s more caloric and filling dirty sodas, CEO Alex Dunn said. —Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026

For the food companies that produce plenty of highly caloric foods, that means different menu items, smaller portions or different product sizes. —Reuters wire Service, Dallas Morning News, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French calorique, from Latin calor

First Known Use

Noun

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for caloric

• dysphoric
• euphoric
• folkloric
• historic
• plethoric
• pyloric
• anaphoric
• metaphoric
• meteoric
• paregoric
• prehistoric
• pyrophoric

Kids Definition

caloric

adjective

ca·​lor·​ic

kə-ˈlȯr-ik, 

-ˈlōr-, 

-ˈlär-;

ˈkal-ə-rik

1

: of or relating to heat

2

: relating to or containing calories

calorically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Medical Definition

caloric

adjective

ca·​lo·​ric kə-ˈlȯr-ik, -ˈlōr-, -ˈlär-; ˈkal-ə-rik 

1

: of or relating to heat

2

: of or relating to calories

calorically

kə-ˈlȯr-i-k(ə-)lē, -ˈlōr-, -ˈlär- 

adverb