retroreflective

[ re-troh-ri-flek-tiv ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a surface, material, or device retroreflector that reflects light or other radiation back to its source; reflective.

Other Words From

• retro·re·flection noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of retroreflective¹

First recorded in 1850–55; retro- + reflective

Example Sentences

The new e-bikes are equipped with full retroreflective coverings, cellphone holders with wireless charging and a 60-mile range.

From Washington Post

Where most AR headsets are self-contained, bending light into your eyes with special mirrors, lenses, or waveguides that result in a pretty narrow field of view, Tilt Five’s headsets project their light onto a retroreflective game board that bounces it back at you.

From The Verge

The researchers taped retroreflective markers to two bull elephants’ trunks and put various items in front of them.

From Scientific American

Their images are printed on retroreflective vinyl, a material employed in street signs that reflects intense direct light.

From Los Angeles Times

She 3D printed a component for the projector to make the image clearer and lined the pillar with what sounds like a retroreflective fabric — it only reflects the image back to the driver, according to the description on a video demonstrating the fix.

From The Verge