radiative

American  

[rey-dee-ey-tiv] / ˈreɪ diˌeɪ tɪv /

Also radiatory

adjective

1. giving off radiation.

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radiative British  

/ ˈreɪdɪətərɪ, -trɪ, ˈreɪdɪətɪv /

adjective

1. physics emitting or causing the emission of radiation

   a radiative collision

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Other Word Forms

• nonradiative adjective
• subradiative adjective
• unradiative adjective

Etymology

Origin of radiative

First recorded in 1830–40; radiat(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

The magnetic fields can be measured through the Zeeman effect of radiative emissions of atoms and molecules.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2025

Efficient cooling requires high reflectivity in the former range to minimise the solar heat gain and high emissivity in the latter range to maximise the radiative heat dissipation.

From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2023

The scientists also considered radiative forcing, a measure of the balance of energy from sunlight that hits Earth, compared with thermal energy the planet loses.

From Scientific American • Sep. 13, 2023

For the next three hours, the group used the cards to recreate the chain of global warming, frowning as they tried to understand phenomena such as radiative forcing and ocean acidification.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2023

And its warrant may perhaps consist in a preponderance, among suns endowed with high physical speed, of small or slightly luminous over powerfully radiative bodies.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 829, November 21, 1891 by Various