radioactive en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˌɹeɪdioʊˈæktɪv/ (US)
- /ˌɹeɪdiəʊˈaktɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Latin radiusder. French radio- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvusbor. Old French actif French actif French radioactifbor. English radioactive Coined by Pierre Curie and Marie Curie in 1898 as French radio-actif, equivalent to English radio- + active.
Meanings
-
Exhibiting radioactivity.
Today, no one would intentionally smear radioactive materials on their face, but in 1933, the dangers of radioactivity were not yet fully understood.
2020 March 8, Jacopo Prisco, “When beauty products were radioactive”, in CNN:As a matter of fact many of our best drinking waters have all sorts of unspecified qualities. Burton water, for example, is radioactive by Beetham's standards up to the ninth degree.
1917, H. G. Wells, “The First Vision”, in The Soul of a Bishop:
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(figuratively, rare) Dangerous and disgusting, particularly of people or ideas.
And while Biden’s other nominees have done little to provoke Republican backlash thus far, [Neera] Tanden is “radioactive,” as Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) put it.
2020 November 30, Burgess Everett, Caitlin Emma, Theodoric Meyer, quoting John Cornyn, “Joe Biden's 'radioactive' nominee”, in POLITICO, archived from the original on 02 Dec 2020:Even sleazy tactics and his radioactive mouth may not be able to contain this debacle.
It was as though he was possessed of an invisible aura repelling incoming bodies. ‘Look. No one wants to be associated with him now. He’s become radioactive.’
2009, Michela Wrong, It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower:If, by some miracle, Democrats hang on to one or both houses of Congress this November, it will be because of Cawthorn, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and other would-be G.O.P. candidates trying to be just like them — the Radioactive Republicans.
2022 April 4, Gail Collins, Bret Stephens, “Which ‘Radioactive Republicans’ Are We Betting On?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 06 Apr 2022:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most radioactive | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| radio-active | alternative, dated | lexicographic | |
| more radioactive | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
nonradioactive · radioactive decay · radioactive disintegration · radioactive waste · radioactive dating · radioactivate · radioactively · radioactive fallout · radioactive tracer · radioactive equilibrium · radioactivity
Translations (50)
sk rádioaktívny (exhibiting radioactivity) · ka რადიოაქტიური (exhibiting radioactivity) · mn цацраг идэвхит (exhibiting radioactivity) · cmn 放射性 (exhibiting radioactivity) · bg радиоакти́вен (exhibiting radioactivity) · th กัมมันตรังสี (exhibiting radioactivity) · ro radioactiv (exhibiting radioactivity) · ja 放射性 (exhibiting radioactivity) · io radioaktiva (exhibiting radioactivity) · gd rèidio-beò (exhibiting radioactivity) · uk радіоакти́вний (exhibiting radioactivity) · es radiactivo (exhibiting radioactivity) · hy ճառագայթաակտիվ (exhibiting radioactivity) · pl radioaktywny (exhibiting radioactivity) · fo geislavirkin (exhibiting radioactivity) · ca radioactiu (exhibiting radioactivity) · sh radioaktivni (exhibiting radioactivity) · be радыёакты́ўны (exhibiting radioactivity) · pt radioactivo (exhibiting radioactivity) · hu radioaktív (exhibiting radioactivity) · lt radioaktyvus (exhibiting radioactivity) · fi radioaktiivinen (exhibiting radioactivity) · de radioaktiv (exhibiting radioactivity) · eu erradioaktibo (exhibiting radioactivity) · is geislavirkur (exhibiting radioactivity) · da radioaktiv (exhibiting radioactivity) · hy ռադիոակտիվ (exhibiting radioactivity) · hi विकिरणशील (exhibiting radioactivity) · he רדיואקטיבי (exhibiting radioactivity) · ru радиоакти́вный (exhibiting radioactivity) · fr radioactif (exhibiting radioactivity) · id radioaktif (exhibiting radioactivity) · nl radioactief (exhibiting radioactivity) · eo radioaktiva (exhibiting radioactivity) · ast radioactivu (exhibiting radioactivity) · gl radioactivo (exhibiting radioactivity) · pl promieniotwórczy (exhibiting radioactivity) · sv radioaktiv (exhibiting radioactivity) · af radioaktief (exhibiting radioactivity) · kk радиоактивті (exhibiting radioactivity) · sh радиоактивни (exhibiting radioactivity) · it radioattivo (exhibiting radioactivity) · tr radyoaktif (exhibiting radioactivity) · cs radioaktivní (exhibiting radioactivity) · mi iraruke (exhibiting radioactivity) · sl radioaktíven (exhibiting radioactivity) · pt radioativo (exhibiting radioactivity) · el ραδιοενεργό (exhibiting radioactivity) · ur تابْکار (exhibiting radioactivity) · kk радиоактивтік (exhibiting radioactivity)