radioactive

adjective

ra·dio·ac·tive | \ ˌrā-dē-ō-ˈak-tiv

Definition of radioactive

: of, caused by, or exhibiting radioactivity

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Examples of radioactive in a Sentence

Uranium and plutonium are radioactive.

Recent Examples on the Web

Here’s how The subject of this description is radiometric dating, which uses radioactive decay of some elements to figure out how old things are. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Video: How do we figure out that rocks are billions of years old?," 30 Oct. 2018 Sediment core samples taken from ancient seabeds show a huge spike in radioactive particles right around the time when the megalodon disappeared. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Exploding Stars Might Have Brought an End to the Prehistoric Megalodon," 14 Dec. 2018 While no detonation happened, it was later revealed that the site was radioactively contaminated by another secret experiment in which the government buried several thousand pounds of radioactive soil in the same area without telling nearby people. — Maka Monture, Teen Vogue, "10 Films That Show How the U.S. Has Mistreated Native Americans and Alaska Natives," 22 Nov. 2018 Burning coal to produce energy leaves behind ash, which contains toxic heavy metals and radioactive material, substances that can lead to cancer and neurological damage. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Florence dropped so much rain that hog waste is spilling out of lagoons," 18 Sep. 2018 Additionally, about 1,000 tons of radioactive scrap metal was shipped to the Luckey site in the early 1950s, in anticipation of converting the plant back to its original magnesium processing activities. — Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Radioactive soil from Ohio heads to Wayne County landfill next week," 22 June 2018 Any nuclear deal will hinge on North Korea's willingness to allow unfettered outside inspections of the country's warheads and radioactive materials, much of which is likely kept in a vast complex of underground facilities. — Fox News, "Kim Jong Un arrives in Singapore for summit with Trump," 10 June 2018 The radioactive metal is considered the founding step for aggressive programs set on making a variety of nuclear arms. — New York Times, "North Korea Nuclear Disarmament Could Take 15 Years, Expert Warns," 28 May 2018 And certainly nobody told them that they had been showered with the radioactive metal after a fire there. — Fred Pearce, Time, "How the 'Compulsive Secrecy’ of the Atomic Age Has Changed the Way We Think," 22 May 2018

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