photodegradable

American

[foh-toh-di-grey-duh-buhl] / ˌfoʊ toʊ dɪˈgreɪ də bəl /

adjective

(of a substance) capable of being broken down by light.

photodegradable British

/ ˌfəʊtəʊdɪˈɡreɪdəbəl /

adjective

(of plastic) capable of being decomposed by prolonged exposure to light

"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

photodegradable Scientific

/ fō′tō-dĭ-grā′də-bəl /

Capable of decomposing when exposed to light. Photodegradable plastic, for example, becomes brittle and breaks into smaller pieces when exposed to sunlight, helping reduce litter and environmental damage.

Etymology

Origin of photodegradable

First recorded in 1970–75; photo- + degradable

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.

Three years ago, a team of scientists led by a University of Toronto chemist designed a plastic that would self-destruct in direct sunlight; a company in Delaware offers a kind of cellulose that dissolves in water; another in Idaho is marketing a process that makes styrene products break down into photodegradable substances.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023