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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

His achievement may permanently reshape how scientists use electron beams, offering a clearer window into the chemical transformations that take place under irradiation.

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

Moreover, the Illinois group performed the first calculations involving high-temperature graphene, and the Duisburg-Essen group experimentally verified the predictions by irradiation.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

The only option, he said, was “further irradiation in the hopes that we may at least relieve her pain.”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

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.