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View synonyms for

irradiate

[ih-rey-dee-eyt, ih-rey-dee-it, -eyt]

verb (used with object)

irradiated, irradiating 
  1. to shed rays of light upon; illuminate.

  2. to illumine intellectually or spiritually.

  3. to brighten as if with light.

  4. to radiate (light, illumination, etc.).

  5. to heat with radiant energy.

  6. to treat by exposure to radiation, as of ultraviolet light.

  7. to expose to radiation.



verb (used without object)

irradiated, irradiating 
  1. Archaic.

    1. to emit rays; shine.

    2. to become radiant.

adjective

  1. irradiated; bright.

irradiate

/ ɪˈɪɪˌɪ /

verb

  1. (tr) physics to subject to or treat with light or other electromagnetic radiation or with beams of particles

  2. (tr) to expose (food) to electromagnetic radiation to kill bacteria and retard deterioration

  3. (tr) to make clear or bright intellectually or spiritually; illumine

  4. a less common word for radiate

  5. obsolete(intr) to become radiant

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

irradiate

  1. To expose to or treat with radiation. For example, meat sold as food is often irradiated with x-rays or other radiation to kill bacteria; uranium 238 can be irradiated with neutrons to create fissionable plutonium 239.

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Other Word Forms

  • irradiatingly adverb
  • irradiative adjective
  • irradiator noun
  • nonirradiated adjective
  • unirradiated adjective
  • unirradiative adjective
  • ˈ徱پ adjective
  • ˈ徱ˌٴǰ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of irradiate1

1595–1605; < Latin 徱ٳܲ, past participle of to shine upon. See ir- 1, radiate
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The series takes place centuries after nuclear war turned most of the U.S. into an irradiated wasteland.

From

Instead of using cobalt or other radioactive materials, Wilson’s team uses an X-ray machine to irradiate the pests.

From

Curtis makes his living as a Hollywood screenwriter, penning B-horror movies filled with irradiated mutants and monsters.

From

For one group of rats, the sutured area was irradiated with a helium plasma jet.

From

New research demonstrates that fast electronic processes can be probed by irradiating the materials with ions first.

From

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