rad

1 of 3

noun

ˈrad 

: a unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material

rad

2 of 3

adjective

slang

: cool sense 7, radical

rad

3 of 3

abbreviation

1

radian

2

radius

3

radix

Examples of rad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Always Something There … is a totally rad musical celebration of the pop culture and fashion of the 1980s, with the most awesome mixtape of hits by Madonna, Pat Benatar, Debbie Gibson, and Whitney Houston, and other music icons, director James Vásquez said. —Gina Grillo, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025

Learn about all the extra rad benefits and become a member yourself at Outside Online Dot Com Slash Pod Plus. —Outside Online, 2 July 2025

To celebrate all of the rad dads out there, our gear team pulled together these Father’s Day deals that make buying the perfect gift a breeze. —Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 7 June 2025

An Elum would be rad, which is a sort of alien steed that Abe rides around like a two-legged horse. —Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

radiation absorbed dose

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1953, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1982, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rad

• ad
• add
• bad
• brad
• cad
• clad
• dad
• fad
• gad
• glad
• grad
• had

Medical Definition

rad

1 of 2 noun

ˈrad 

: a unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material

rad

2 of 2 abbreviation

root

—used in writing prescriptions

Etymology

Abbreviation

Latin radix