Skip to main content
radioactive

radioactive

180 5.7
Giving off dangerous rays or tiny particles from unstable atoms that can harm people
  • adjective
  • /ˌreɪdiəʊˈæktɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : radiactivo
  • The area around the nuclear power plant is considered radioactive and off-limits.
  • radioactive waste
  • radioactive material
  • radioactive decay

I mean, no searches for peace in a dangerous radioactive wasteland.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Much is made of the fact that these wastes are radioactive.

  • Now it is not inconceivable that this facility may have leaked some radioactive material.

  • But the core problem associated with waste is radioactive half life.

  • The water here is as radioactive as that in the village.

  • The largest problem is, of course, what to do with the radioactive waste.

    Academic text (2012)
  • I take radioactive samples and I study them.

  • That's the largest hot cell in the United States, the most radioactive room in the world.

  • It creates this radioactive dust, which is a big problem.

  • PET scanning is based on injecting a small amount of radioactive sugar into a person.

    Academic text (2008)
  • I have an idea about deactivating radioactive waste using some of the energy released by the fission.

    Academic text (2011)

Antonyms

stable
  • Specialized
30 6.6

Not likely to react or change in a chemical way

Not giving off harmful radiation

Compounds

radioactive material
  • Specialized
16 5.1

A substance that gives off invisible energy that can harm people and animals

radioactive waste
  • Specialized
12 5.0

Unwanted material from nuclear power that gives off radiation

radioactive decay
  • Specialized
3 6.0

An unstable atom's nucleus loses energy by giving off radiation

radioactive dating
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A way to find how old things are by measuring atoms that have broken apart inside them

Tiny particles that fall after a nuclear explosion or accident and give off harmful radiation

1 6.5

Radioactive material from medical tests and hospital procedures that has low radiation and needs safe handling

1 7.8

Highly radioactive material left after nuclear fuel is used that needs safe storage for a long time

A strong harmful result that spreads quickly among people

A medical test that measures how much radioactive iodine is in the urine to check the thyroid

4.9

A test that checks how the thyroid takes a small amount of radioactive iodine

A test that measures how much radioactive iodine the thyroid takes to see how well it works

How Radioactive

radioactive
  • Specialized
180 5.7

Surface Forms

radioactive positive

Morphology

radioactive = active (semi-transparent) = radio + active

The components 'radio' + 'active' are recognizable, but learners who know 'radio' only as broadcasting may be misled; here 'radio' refers to radiation, so the semantic composition is not fully straightforward.

Etymology

Radioactive comes from the part radio-, from a Latin word meaning 'ray', and -active, meaning 'doing'. So something radioactive is 'doing' or giving off rays or energy, which is why we use the word for materials that send out dangerous radiation.