open-chain openc·hain uncommon adjective (1) noun (1) adjective 1. chemistry; not cyclic; having an open chain structure Synonymsacyclic Antonymscyclic Similaraliphatic noun 1. a chain of atoms in a molecule whose ends are not joined to form a ring Synonymsopen chain Antonymsclosed chain Related words Broader terms chain Narrower terms branched chainstraight chain WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.
