solarize

[ soh-luh-rahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, so·lar·ized, so·lar·iz·ing.

1. Photography. to reverse (an image) partially, as from negative to positive, by exposure to light during development.
2. to adapt (a building) to the use of solar energy:

   We hope to solarize our house within five years.

3. to affect by sunlight.

verb (used without object)

, so·lar·ized, so·lar·iz·ing.

1. Photography. (of material) to become injured by overexposure.

solarize

/ ˈsəʊləˌraɪz /

verb

1. to treat by exposure to the sun's rays
2. photog to reverse some of the tones of (a negative or print) and introduce pronounced outlines of highlights, by exposing it briefly to light after developing and washing, and then redeveloping
3. to expose (a patient) to the therapeutic effects of solar or ultraviolet light

Derived Forms

• ˌsolariˈzation, noun

Other Words From

• solar·i·zation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of solarize¹

First recorded in 1850–55; solar ¹ + -ize

Example Sentences

Solar Holler estimates the first schools to be solarized in early 2024 and the others to go online on a rolling basis in the following 12 to 18 months.

From Washington Times

One is to turn off the water and solarize the lawn by covering it with black plastic.

From Washington Post

Faux furs dyed black, then scraped away and solarized and redyed so that fabrics themselves became like layers of excavation, blackness giving way to something altogether lighter?

From New York Times

“First and Second” depicts a painted portrait of a man in profile, overlaid with solarized, photographic images.

From Los Angeles Times

But this is precisely what is missing from Scharer’s novel: any sense that language can be “solarized” like a photograph, that life’s “luminous halo” can register on the page.

From New York Times