processed
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
food that has been changed from its natural state in a factory to make it last longer or taste different.
referring to food items that have undergone industrial refinement, chemical treatment, or mechanical modification for preservation and flavour enhancement.
Simple“Many people try to avoid processed foods like sausages and sugary cereals.”
In context“The nutritionist argued that a diet high in ultra-processed foods contributes significantly to long-term metabolic health issues in urban populations.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
describes something that has finished going through a necessary system or set of steps.
having completed a specific sequence of administrative, legal, or industrial steps.
Simple“Once the processed applications are signed, the new employees can start work.”
In context“The processed materials were moved to the shipping bay, awaiting final inspection before being dispatched to the regional distributors.”
“Newly-minted European champion Mark English says he still hasn't processed winning last night's 800-metre final.”
“In other words, there was no difference in how the brain processed natural and invented languages.”
From process + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.