radioactive
See also: radioactivé
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- radio-active (dated)
Etymology edit
Coined by Pierre Curie and Marie Curie in 1898 as French radio-actif, equivalent to English radio- + active.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌɹeɪdioʊˈaktɪv/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌɹeɪdioʊˈæktɪv/
- Rhymes: -æktɪv
Adjective edit
radioactive (comparative more radioactive, superlative most radioactive)
- Exhibiting radioactivity.
- 1917, H. G. Wells, “The First Vision”, in The Soul of a Bishop[1]:
- As a matter of fact many of our best drinking waters have all sorts of unspecified qualities. Burton water, for example, is radioactive by Beetham's standards up to the ninth degree.
- (figurative, rare) Dangerous and disgusting, particularly of people or ideas.
- Even sleazy tactics and his radioactive mouth may not be able to contain this debacle.
- 2020 November 30, Burgess Everett, Caitlin Emma, Theodoric Meyer, quoting John Cornyn, “Joe Biden's 'radioactive' nominee”, in POLITICO[2]:
- And while Biden’s other nominees have done little to provoke Republican backlash thus far, [Neera] Tanden is “radioactive,” as Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) put it.
- 2022 April 4, Gail Collins, Bret Stephens, “Which ‘Radioactive Republicans’ Are We Betting On?”, in The New York Times[3], →ISSN:
- If, by some miracle, Democrats hang on to one or both houses of Congress this November, it will be because of Cawthorn, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and other would-be G.O.P. candidates trying to be just like them — the Radioactive Republicans.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
exhibiting radioactivity
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Noun edit
radioactive (plural radioactives)
- Any radioactive substance.
- 2016, Travis S. Taylor, Les Johnson, On to the Asteroid:
- Any ship nearby will receive a lethal dose of gamma rays, neutrons, and other radioactives.
Further reading edit
- “radioactive”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- radioactive on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Adjective edit
radioactive