reactance

[ ree-ak-tuhns ]

/ riˈæk təns /

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noun

Electricity. the opposition of inductance and capacitance to alternating current, expressed in ohms: equal to the product of the sine of the angular phase difference between current and voltage and the ratio of the effective voltage to the effective current. Symbol: XCompare capacitive reactance, inductive reactance.

Acoustics. acoustic reactance.

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Origin of reactance

First recorded in 1890–95; react + -ance

Words nearby reactance

reaching jib, reach-me-down, reach rod, reacquire, react, reactance, reactant, reaction, reactionary, reaction chamber, reaction engine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use reactance in a sentence

Such a response, known in psychology as reactance, generally is short-lived.
Could Graphic New Anti Smoking Ads Do More Harm?|Kent Sepkowitz|March 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Find the reactance of a choke coil having a resistance of 10 ohms, when its impedance is 50 ohms.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
The essential parts of a Tungar Rectifier are: A bulb, transformer, reactance, and the enclosing case and equipment.
The Automobile Storage Battery|O. A. Witte
The light obtainable through a reactance is not of the best quality and reactances are not much used.
Motion Picture Operation, Stage Electrics and Illusions|Henry C. Horstmann

If a reactance is used in place of a rheostat in an alternating-current circuit, the loss of energy is greatly reduced.
Motion Picture Operation, Stage Electrics and Illusions|Henry C. Horstmann
The combined effect of resistance and reactance is called impedance.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower

British Dictionary definitions for reactance

reactance

/ (rɪˈæktəns) /

noun

the opposition to the flow of alternating current by the capacitance or inductance of an electrical circuit; the imaginary part of the impedance Z, Z = R + i X, where R is the resistance, i = √–1, and X is the reactance. It is expressed in ohmsCompare resistance (def. 3)

the opposition to the flow of an acoustic or mechanical vibration, usually due to inertia or stiffness. It is the magnitude of the imaginary part of the acoustic or mechanical impedance

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