anthracite
Americannoun
noun
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A hard, shiny coal that has a high carbon content. It is valued as a fuel because it burns with a clean flame and without smoke or odor, but it is much less abundant than bituminous coal.
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Compare bituminous coal lignite
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of anthracite
1810–15; probably < French < Latin (Pliny) anthracītis kind of coal. See anthrac-, -ite 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In its application, the company had argued it had developed "a niche non-thermal market for premium quality anthracite".
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Rival steelmaker Arcelormittal Nippon Steel India shipped in 35,000 tonnes of Russian anthracite coal using euros, a customs document dated June 15 showed.
From Reuters • Aug. 10, 2022
I have a very good friend here in New Hampshire who heats with anthracite coal.
From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2022
On April 13, an anthracite gray Volkswagen van pulled into Les Poulières.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2021
It’s steel country, anthracite country, a place full of holes.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
