nuclear vs thermonuclear

nuclear

adj
  • Pertaining to the nucleus of an atom. 

  • Involving an extreme course of action. 

  • Pertaining to the nucleus of a cell. 

  • Relating to a weapon that derives its force from rapid release of energy through nuclear reactions. 

  • Involving energy released by nuclear reactions (fission, fusion, radioactive decay). 

noun
  • Nuclear power. 

  • Nuclear weapon 

thermonuclear

adj
  • Of, or relating to the fusion of atomic nuclei at high temperatures. 

  • Of, or relating to the use of atomic weapons based on such fusion, especially as distinguished from those based on fission. 

noun
  • A thermonuclear weapon. 

How often have the words nuclear and thermonuclear occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )