photochemical

adjective

pho·​to·​chem·​i·​cal ˌfō-tō-ˈke-mi-kəl How to pronounce photochemical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or resulting from the chemical action of radiant energy and especially light
photochemical smog
2
: of or relating to photochemistry
photochemical studies
photochemically adverb

Examples of photochemical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Smog, or ground-level ozone, in technical terms, is produced through a photochemical reaction where nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react with each other in sunlight. Justine Calma, The Verge, 12 Feb. 2024 To film buffs who are buffs, specifically, of film — of movies shot and projected with a physical, photochemical product — comparing IMAX 70-millimeter to IMAX digital, let alone standard digital, is like comparing lightning to the lightning bug. Marc Tracy, New York Times, 18 July 2023 This is a big improvement from the team’s previous work trying to induce a photochemical reaction in crystalline solids. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 23 Aug. 2023 In material science, for example—which approximates solutions of charge transfer processes, photochemical reactions and catalytic reactions—often fails to capture the underlying quantum physics determinative for the material's behavior. Julian Van Velzen, Forbes, 17 July 2023 Determining the photochemical reactions happening in a faraway atmosphere takes an advanced and extremely fine-tuned telescope fit with a spectrograph. Meghan Herbst, Wired, 4 Mar. 2021 The molecules likely originally formed through photochemical reactions in ice in outer space before our solar system even existed, Oba said. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 21 Mar. 2023 In Hubble’s November 2022 image of Uranus, the planet’s north pole has a large off-white circle, caused from a thickened photochemical haze that resembles the smog produced over cities, alongside several storms near the circle’s edge, according to NASA. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 28 Mar. 2023 This company also promises full transparency by listing its products’ photochemical analysis reports on their website. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'photochemical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of photochemical was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near photochemical

Cite this Entry

“Photochemical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photochemical. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

photochemical

adjective
pho·​to·​chem·​i·​cal ˌfōt-ō-ˈkem-i-kəl How to pronounce photochemical (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or resulting from the chemical action of radiant energy and especially light
photochemical smog
2
: of or relating to photochemistry
photochemical studies
photochemically adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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