radioactive

American  

[rey-dee-oh-ak-tiv] / ˌreɪ di oʊˈæk tɪv /

adjective

1. Physics, Chemistry. of, relating to, exhibiting, or caused by radioactivity.

   A pressing issue in post-Soviet Russia is safe long-term storage of radioactive waste, from both military and civilian applications.

2. relating to or being a person, topic, or matter that is likely to provoke intense negative reactions or disagreement.

   The option of raising taxes to fund these expenditures is a politically radioactive approach that a majority of state policymakers have avoided.

---

radioactive British  

/ ˌreɪdɪəʊˈæktɪv /

adjective

1. exhibiting, using, or concerned with radioactivity

---

radioactive Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for a material made up of atoms in which radioactivity occurs.

---

Usage

What does radioactive mean? Radioactive describes something that exhibits or is caused by radioactivity. If something is radioactive, it emits radiation, which usually takes the form of electromagnetic waves or fast-moving elementary particles, such as protons or neutrons.While low doses of radiation are usually harmless, being exposed to large amounts of radiation will most likely kill you. For this reason, highly radioactive materials are often considered very dangerous and will only be handled by experts.Example: The radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants can damage the environment. 

Other Word Forms

• nonradioactive adjective
• radioactively adverb
• unradioactive adjective

Etymology

Origin of radioactive

First recorded in 1895–1900; radio- + active

Example Sentences

The research team focused on detecting moments when a high-energy neutrino hits a carbon-13 nucleus and converts it into nitrogen-13, a radioactive form of nitrogen that decays roughly ten minutes later.

From Science Daily

The £1m scanner works by detecting gamma rays emitted by a radioactive substance that is injected into patients' bodies.

From BBC

Prof Smith from the University of Portsmouth in the UK, who has studied the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, said the biggest danger linked to the site was disturbing radioactive dust.

From BBC

Greenpeace members on Saturday filmed the loading of about 10 containers with radioactive labels onto a cargo ship in the Channel port of Dunkirk, the NGO said.

From Barron's

The steel reactor vessel at the heart of each reactor building is surrounded by a thick concrete containment vessel, designed to hold radioactive materials that might escape from the reactor in an emergency.

From Literature

Related Words

• contaminated
• dangerous
• hot