diffractive

[ dih-frak-tiv ]

adjective

1. causing or pertaining to diffraction.

Other Words From

• dif·fractive·ly adverb
• dif·fractive·ness noun
• nondif·fractive adjective
• nondif·fractive·ly adverb
• nondif·fractive·ness noun
• undif·fractive adjective
• undif·fractive·ly adverb
• undif·fractive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of diffractive¹

First recorded in 1820–30; diffract + -ive

Example Sentences

To bypass this bottleneck, a few of us came up with the idea of revisiting an old technology called diffractive lenses.

From Salon

Diffractive lenses, left, are much thinner compared to similarly powerful refractive lenses, right.

From Salon

A cleverly arranged pattern of steps and angles on a glass surface can form a diffractive lens.

From Salon

Today, similar diffractive lenses can be found in many small-sized consumer optics – from camera lenses to virtual reality headsets.

From Salon

Thin, simple diffractive lenses are notorious for their blurry images, so they have never been used in astronomical observatories.

From Salon