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Synonyms

irradiation

American  
[ih-rey-dee-ey-shuhn] / ɪˌreɪ diˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of irradiating.

  2. the state of being irradiated.

  3. intellectual or spiritual enlightenment.

  4. a ray of light; beam.

  5. Optics. the apparent enlargement of an object when seen against a dark background.

  6. the use of x-rays or other forms of radiation for the treatment of disease, the making of x-ray photographs, the manufacture of vitamin D, etc.

  7. exposure or the process of exposure to x-rays or other radiation.

  8. Physics. irradiance.

irradiation British  
/ ɪˌreɪdɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act or process of irradiating or the state of being irradiated

  2. the apparent enlargement of a brightly lit object when it is viewed against a dark background

  3. a shaft of light; beam or ray

  4. med

    1. the therapeutic or diagnostic use of radiation, esp X-rays

    2. exposure of a patient to such radiation

  5. another name for radiation irradiance

"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

Other Word Forms

  • postirradiation adjective

Etymology

Origin of irradiation

First recorded in 1580–90, irradiation is from the Late Latin word irradiātiōn- (stem of irradiātiō ). See ir- 1, radiation

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.

The study examined additive manufacturing using hot-wire laser irradiation and tested two different fabrication strategies.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

The researchers also suggest that similar high-energy irradiation processes may explain how diamonds form naturally in meteorites or uranium-rich rocks.

From Science Daily • Oct. 29, 2025

In addition to demonstrating how electron irradiation drives polymerization and restructuring, the experiment revealed TEM's potential for studying controlled reactions in other organic molecules as well.

From Science Daily • Oct. 29, 2025

"But, in the near term, we have shown that irradiation can be used as a high-precision measurement technique."

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

After a one-minute irradiation at low power, the machine was stopped and the cage opened.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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.