photonegative

[ foh-tuh-neg-uh-tiv ]

adjective

, Physics.

1. pertaining to a substance, as selenium, having a conductivity that decreases upon absorption of electromagnetic radiation.

photonegative

/ ˌfəʊtəʊˈnɛɡətɪv /

adjective

1. physics (of a material) having an electrical conductivity that decreases with increasing illumination

Word History and Origins

Origin of photonegative¹

First recorded in 1910–15; photo- + negative

Example Sentences

“All of Us Strangers,” down to the seemingly innocuous phrase Haigh appends to the original novel’s title, is ultimately a statement of his conviction that there is something “beautiful and sweet and tender” in our sorrow and disappointment — that grief, for instance, might be understood as photonegative proof of the existence of love.

From Los Angeles Times

Another way to describe “The War for Gloria” might be to call it a photonegative of Erich Segal’s “Love Story.”

From New York Times

Right now, too many places are operating in photonegative space from common sense, imposing on those who did the right thing while coddling those who refuse to do the bare minimum.

From Salon

“Watchmen” was almost a photonegative of Trumpism, in which white nationalism was a guerrilla insurgency rather than a ruling ideology.

From New York Times

Trump's claims to be a billionaire appear the inverse of reality, where he was a billion dollars in the red, making him the photonegative of a billionaire.

From Salon