Word.ws English Dictionary

irradiate

Syllables: ir·rad·i·ate/ɪˈɹeɪdɪət/US/ɪˈɹeɪdiˌeɪt/

irradiate adjective: made brilliant or bright; irradiated, illuminated.

Adjective

irradiate (comparative more irradiate, superlative most irradiate)

  1. (literary, poetic) Made brilliant or bright; irradiated, illuminated.
    • There ſeek the Theban Bard, depriv'd of ſight, / VVithin, irradiate vvith prophetic light; […]1725, Homer, “Book X”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume III, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC, page 52, lines 582–583
    • The co-existent Flame / Knew the Destroyer; it encircled him, / Roll'd up his robe, and gathered round his head, / Condensing to intenser splendour there, / His crown of glory, and his light of life, / Hovered the irradiate wreath.1801, Robert Southey, “The Twelfth Book”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volume II, London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], →OCLC, page 317
  2. (figuratively, literary, poetic) Made splendid or wonderful.

Verb

irradiate (third-person singular simple present irradiates, present participle irradiating, simple past and past participle irradiated)

  1. (literary, poetic, transitive) To send out (heat, light, or some other form of radiation) in the form of rays; to radiate.
  2. (literary, often, poetic, transitive) To make (someone or something) bright by shining light on them or it; to brighten, to illuminate.
    • Such vvere thy gifts, Pedmálá, ſuch thy povv'r! / For, vvhen thy smile irradiates yon blue fields, / Obſervant Indra ſends the genial ſhovv'r.c. 1789, William Jones, “A Hymn to Lacshmí”, in A[nna] M[aria Shipley] J[ones], editor, The Works of Sir William Jones. […], volume VI, London: […] G[eorge] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […]; and...
    • Thou cheerful light of day! […] thou ſplendid luminary of Natur! thou no longer irradiateſt my eyes or exhilarateſt my ſoul! The ſeaſons ſtill follovv each other, and year ſucceeds to year; but to me day no more returns.1799, E. F. Lantier [i.e., Étienne-François de Lantier], “Supper at the House of Aristides—Anecdotes”, in [anonymous], transl., The Travels of Antenor in Greece and Asia: […], volume I, London: […]...
  3. (literary, poetic, transitive) To treat (food) with ionizing radiation to destroy pathogens.
    • An inherent protection in labeling of the shipping containers will be the prevention of irradiating the commodity again, insuring that the produce has been treated within the safety limits established by the FDA [Food and Drug Administration].1985 November 18, J. Richard Graves, jr., witness, “Statement of J. Richard Graves, jr., Chairman, Government Relations Committee, United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association”, in Federal Food...
  4. (literary, poetic, transitive) To treat (a patient, or a cancerous growth or tumour) with radiation.
  5. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To animate or enliven (one's mood, or soul or spirit).
    • […] I therefore beseech God to give you his grace and blessing, and the influence of his blessed Spirit, that you may subdue and conquer the temperament of your nature, to do all things well-pleasing to him, and that may irradiate and strengthen your souls and direct you in all things, for there is...a. 1677 (date written), Matthew Hale, “Dangers that may Arise from Your Constitution and Complexion”, in A Letter of Advice to His Grandchildren, Matthew, Gabriel, Anne, Mary, and Frances Hale. […]...
  6. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To cause (one's face) to look beautiful, happy, or lively; to light up.
    • [W]e regarded with awe and reverence the sublime features of Madame Columbus, now irradiated with triumph.1877, William Black, “Mid-Atlantic”, in Green Pastures and Piccadilly. […], volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 186
  7. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To decorate (a place) splendidly.
    • No vveeping orphan ſavv his father's ſtores / Our ſhrines irradiate, or emblaze the floors; […]1717, Alexander Pope, “Eloisa to Abelard”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC, page 424
  8. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To enlighten (someone, their mind, etc.) intellectually or spiritually; to illuminate, to shed light on.
    • This book might irradiate your mind
    • And indeed we ought, in these happy intervals, when our understandings are thus irradiated and enlightened, to make a judgment of the state and condition of our souls in the sight of God, and not to take our estimate of it when our understandings are eclipsed, and we are overshadowed with a dark...a. 1711 (date written), George Bull, “Discourse III. Concerning the Spirit of God in the Faithful; […]”, in Some Important Points of Primitive Christianity Maintained and Defended; in Several Sermons...
  9. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To send out (something) as if in the form of rays; to diffuse, to radiate, to shed.
    • Mercury in any geniture, if he ſhall be found in Virgo, or Piſces his oppoſite ſigne, and that in the Horoſcope, irradiated by thoſe quartile aspects of Saturne or Mars, the childe ſhall be mad or melancholy.1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Starres a Cause. Signes from Physiognomy, Metoposcopy, Chiromancy”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and...
    • [H]is ideal of grandeur was a splendid façade, diffusing its brilliancy outward too, irradiating hospitality.1876 June, Henry James, Jr., chapter III, in The American, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, […], published 5 May 1877, →OCLC, pages 56–57
  10. (figuratively, literary, obsolete, poetic, transitive) To influence (something) as if with rays of heat, light, etc.
    • [T]he neighbouring Spermatick Veſſels are irradiated and virtuated by the kidneys, even as the Brain irradiates the lovver Parts, by an inbred property reſembling light.1662, Bartholinus [i.e., Thomas Bartholin], “Of the Kidneys”, in Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole, transl., Bartholinus Anatomy; […] (The Physitian’s Library), London: […] Peter Cole […], →OCLC, 1st...
    • There muſt be antecedent to it that Ethereal or Solar heat, that muſt digeſt, influence, irradiate, and put theſe more ſimple parts of Matter into motion and coalition: […]a. 1677 (date written), Matthew Hale, “A Brief Consideration of the Hypotheses that Concern the Eternity of the World”, in The Primitive Origination of Mankind, Considered and Examined According to...
  11. (intransitive, literary, often, poetic) To become bright; to brighten, to light up.
  12. (intransitive, literary, often, poetic) Often followed by on or upon: to emit rays of light; to shine.
  13. (figuratively, intransitive, literary, often, poetic) To emit something other than light; to radiate.
    • [T]he pleaſures of ſenſe have no reliſh vvhere thou [Jesus] irradiateſt and teſtifieſt vvith our conſcience, that vve are the children of God, and have done thy vvill ſincerely, […]1733, Tho[mas] Allen, “Jesus Christ’s Sixth Royal Embassy; or Word to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia”, in The Christian’s Sure Guide to Eternal Glory: Or, Living Oracles Most Comfortable...
  14. (intransitive, literary, obsolete, often, poetic) To diverge or be sent out in the form of rays.
    • […] Moſes by approaching to God in the Mount, had a Communication of Glory or Light from him, vvhich irradiated from his Face vvhen he deſcended from the Mount.a. 1705 (date written), [John Locke], “[Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians]”, in A Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for Awnsham and John...

irradiate meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam

irradiate in Tamil

ஒளிவீசு, கதிர்வீசு, ஒளிர்வி, துலக்கு, துலங்கு

irradiate in Urdu

چمکانا, روشنی ڈالنا, اجالنا

irradiate in Bengali

আলোকিত করা, বিকিরণ করা, রশ্মি দ্বারা উদ্ভাসিত করা

irradiate in Malayalam

light (up), illuminate, cast light upon
പ്രകാശമാനമാക്കുക, ദീപ്തമാക്കുക, പ്രകാശിപ്പിക്കുക, വെളിച്ചം വീശുക, ഉദ്ദീപിപ്പിക്ക, തെളിയിക്കുക
More languagesFewer languages
irradiate in Persian
پرتو زدن partow zadan

Examples of irradiate in a sentence

  • Who hath watched / The midnight lightnings of the summer storm, / That, with their aweful blaze, irradiate heaven, / Then leave a blacker night?1805, Robert Southey, “Canto XVIII”, in Madoc, London: […] [F]or Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and A[rchibald] Constable and Co, […], by...
  • For him, in one dear Presence, there exists / A virtue which irradiates and exalts / Objects through widest intercourse of sense.1799–1805 (date written), William Wordsworth, “Book II. School-time.—(Continued.)”, in The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet’s Mind; an...

Synonyms of irradiate

6 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of irradiate

Forms of irradiate

Adjective
comparativemore irradiate
superlativemost irradiate
Verb
third-person singular presentirradiates
present participleirradiating
past participleirradiated
pastirradiated
second-person singular present (archaic)irradiatest
second-person singular past (archaic)irradiatedst
third-person singular present (archaic)irradiateth

Origin of irradiate

From Middle English irradiate (“illuminated, shining”), borrowed from Medieval Latin irradiātus, perfect passive participle of irradiō, from ir- (“against; into; on, upon”) + radiō (“to cause to radiate, irradiate; to emit beams, radiate”), from radius (“ray of light; rod, staff; spoke of a wheel”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix) (further etymology uncertain; possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁t- (“beam; pole; post”)). The adjective is attested earlier than the verb. The English word is analysable as in- (“against; into; on, upon”) + radiate.

From Middle English irradiate (“illuminated, shining”) (more at etymology 1), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Words formed from irradiate

Questions about irradiate

What does irradiate mean?
Irradiate means made brilliant or bright; irradiated, illuminated.
What is irradiate in Tamil?
Irradiate in Tamil is ஒளிவீசு, கதிர்வீசு, ஒளிர்வி. See Irradiate meaning in Tamil.
How do you use irradiate in a sentence?
Who hath watched / The midnight lightnings of the summer storm, / That, with their aweful blaze, irradiate heaven, / Then leave a blacker night?
What part of speech is irradiate?
Irradiate can be an adjective or a verb.
How do you pronounce irradiate?
Irradiate is pronounced /ɪˈɹeɪdɪət/ (UK).

Words near irradiate in the dictionary

  1. irradiance
  2. irradiances
  3. irradiancies
  4. irradiancy
  5. irradiant
  6. irradiate
  7. irradiated
  8. irradiatedst
  9. irradiates
  10. irradiatest
  11. irradiateth

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: irradiate (page history and authors); irradiate (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); irradiate (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Irradiate (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); irradiate (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-irradiate2.wav.

Cite this entry: “irradiate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/irradiate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.