English Reference
Adjective

geothermal

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˌdʒioʊˈθɝməɫ/ UK /dʒˌiːəʊθˈɜːməl/ geo·ther·mal

adj.relating to the heat that comes from inside the earth. You usually hear this word when people talk about clean energy or hot springs.

adj.relating to or produced by the internal heat of the earth. Often describes energy sources or geological features like geysers and hot springs.


SIMPLE

The city uses geothermal energy to heat homes.

CONTEXTUAL

Iceland produces a significant portion of its electricity by tapping into geothermal reservoirs deep underground.

COMPLEX

Engineers are exploring enhanced geothermal systems that could potentially harness heat from dry rock layers, significantly expanding the geographic availability of this renewable resource.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun like 'energy', 'power', or 'heating'.

The proposed facility was to run on geothermal energy and eventually scale to as much as 1 gigawatt of capacity.

Al Jazeera· 24 Aug 2026

It poses no immediate danger, but the discovery reveals how enormous volcanic systems can remain hidden and could transform the search for geothermal energy and critical minerals.

ScienceDaily· 5 Aug 2026

From geo- + thermal.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated