dispersive
adjective
dis·per·sive
di-ˈspər-siv 
-ziv
1
: of or relating to dispersion
a dispersive medium
the dispersive power of a lens
2
: tending to disperse
dispersively
adverb
dispersiveness
noun
Examples of dispersive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Brown and Hughes, the devices of the blues poem index the repetitive and dispersive conditions of wageless Black life in the 1920s.
—
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
So typically, waves in the deep ocean are dispersive.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 14 June 2023
As a second step, the data signal is stretched in time by the propagation through a dispersive fiber which reduces its analog bandwidth to fit within that of the digitizer.
—Stephen Ibaraki, Forbes, 12 July 2022
Gillreath-Brown analyzed the tips with a scanning electron microscope, X‑ray florescence and energy dispersive ray spectroscopy.
—David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2019
These dispersive trends are clear in Southern California, where net migration out of Los Angeles County runs about four times the rate of neighboring, more suburban Orange County, as migration to places like Riverside County mounts.
—Wendell Cox, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2017
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Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
So typically, waves in the deep ocean are dispersive.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 14 June 2023
As a second step, the data signal is stretched in time by the propagation through a dispersive fiber which reduces its analog bandwidth to fit within that of the digitizer.
—Stephen Ibaraki, Forbes, 12 July 2022
Gillreath-Brown analyzed the tips with a scanning electron microscope, X‑ray florescence and energy dispersive ray spectroscopy.
—David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2019
These dispersive trends are clear in Southern California, where net migration out of Los Angeles County runs about four times the rate of neighboring, more suburban Orange County, as migration to places like Riverside County mounts.
—Wendell Cox, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Dispersive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispersive. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dispersive
adjective
dis·per·sive
-ˈpər-siv, -ziv
1
: of or relating to dispersion
a dispersive medium
the dispersive power of a lens
2
: tending to disperse
dispersiveness
noun
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