galvanic

adjective gal·van·ic \ gal-ˈva-nik \

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of galvanic

1 a : of, relating to, or producing a direct current of electricity

a galvanic cell

b : caused by galvanism —used especially of the corrosion of metallic objects as a result of electrolytic action

… an effective alternative to conventional copper paints that cause galvanic corrosion of metals underwater.
—Cruising World

2 a : having an electric effect : intensely exciting

a galvanic performance

b : produced as if by an electric shock

had a galvanic effect on the audience

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galvanically

play \gal-ˈva-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See galvanic defined for English-language learners

Examples of galvanic in a Sentence

Her performance had a galvanic effect on the audience.
her galvanic rendition of the song received rapturous applause

Recent Examples of galvanic from the Web

Mac, a galvanic performer who combines the otherworldly gender fluidity of Ziggy Stardust and the unstoppable razzle-dazzle of a post-modern Liza Minnelli, could easily stop traffic in these groves of academe with a simple change in headdress.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "Taylor Mac on gay history, 'Hamilton' and his epic 24-hour extravaganza at the Ace," 14 Mar. 2018
For the follow-up to last year’s galvanic sets, Morrison returns with decidedly smaller forces, leading a quartet.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "From Morrison to Monk, a weekend of tantalizing music," 25 Jan. 2018
The moment at lunchtime when @george_osborne tweets his paper’s front page, its lead editorial, and a frequently savage political cartoon is now a galvanic juncture in the day’s news cycle.

— ed caesar, Esquire, "George Osborne's Revenge," 15 Sep. 2017
An explosive rock outfit from Providence, R.I., Downtown Boys are recent signees to Seattle’s storied SubPop label, and have just released The Cost Of Living, a galvanic salvo in which lead singer Victoria Ruiz speaks up for the dispossessed.

— Philly.com, "Everything you need to know about Made in America Day Two," 3 Sep. 2017
Celebrating his seventy-fifth birthday at the helm of a galvanic quartet, Valdés will demonstrate an undiminished ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Stateside hard bop with joyous abandon.

— The New Yorker, "Chucho Valdés Quartet 75th Birthday Celebration," 9 May 2014
The Navy has systems for dealing with galvanic corrosion, but did not include them in Independence‘s design.

— david axe, WIRED, "Plenty of Blame to Go Around for ‘Disappearing’ Warship," 5 July 2011
Pax, the eponymous fox of Sara Pennypacker’s new novel, is built on the model of Hughes’s cub, half wild and half domesticated, a galvanic presence fit to join the ranks of fiction’s great foxes.

— katherine rundell, New York Times, "‘Pax,’ by Sara Pennypacker," 12 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'galvanic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of galvanic

borrowed from French galvanique, from galvanisme galvanism + -ique ¹-ic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1797

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

galvanic Synonyms

Other Electrical Engineering Terms

feedback, fuse, incandescent, noise, resonance

GALVANIC Defined for English Language Learners

galvanic

adjective

Definition of galvanic for English Language Learners

: relating to or producing a direct current of electricity
: causing people to feel or react strongly

Medical Dictionary

galvanic

adjective gal·van·ic \ gal-ˈvan-ik \

medical Definition of galvanic

: of, relating to, involving, or producing a direct current of electricity

galvanic stimulation of flaccid muscles

— compare faradic

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galvanically

play \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Biographical Note for galvanic

Galvani play \gäl-ˈvä-nē\, Luigi (1737–1798), Italian physician and physicist. Galvani is known for his pioneering experiments in the electrical stimulation of frog nerves and muscles. His experiments motivated the discovery of a source of a constant current of electricity by Alessandro Volta.