light-sensitive

British

adjective

physics (of a surface) having a photoelectric property, such as the ability to generate a current, change its electrical resistance, etc, when exposed to light

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This work could be especially valuable in optogenetics, a field that uses light-sensitive proteins to control and study cells in living tissue.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

As old as the invention of photography, rayographs—negative, silhouetted photographic prints made by placing objects directly onto light-sensitive paper—are more commonly known as photograms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

The retina is a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye responsible for receiving and processing visual information.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

These glass plates recorded images of the night sky using a light-sensitive emulsion covering their surface.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2025

Over time, that light-sensitive spot evolved to become the human eye.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023