ultrasonic

adjective

ul·​tra·​son·​ic ˌəl-trə-ˈsä-nik 

1

: having a frequency above the human ear's audibility limit of about 20,000 hertz

—used of waves and vibrations

2

: utilizing, produced by, or relating to ultrasonic waves or vibrations

ultrasonically

ˌəl-trə-ˈsä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Ultrasound, or ultrasonography, works on the principle that sound is reflected at different speeds by tissues or substances of different densities. Ultrasound technology has been used medically since the 1940s. Sonograms, the pictures produced by ultrasound, can reveal heart defects, tumors, and gallstones; since low-power ultrasonic waves don't present any risks to a body, they're most often used to display fetuses during pregnancy in order to make sure they're healthy. Ultrasonics has many other uses, including underwater sonar sensing. High-power ultrasonics are so intense that they're actually used for drilling and welding.

Examples of ultrasonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each square creates ultrasonic waves and records the ripples back at millions of times per second. — New Atlas, 26 June 2026

Her best long-term suggestion is to pick up ultrasonic devices at your local hardware store or purchase a few online. — Nashia Baker, Martha Stewart, 25 June 2026

Each quilt comes with two matching shams to complete the look, and the bedding uses ultrasonic binding instead of stitching so the filling doesn’t shift. — Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026

Additional training is done by having the robot physically navigate through the greenhouse path, collecting localization (the robot needs to operate in a GPS denied environment) and obstacle data through its suite of cameras, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and ultrasonic sensors. — Sabbir Rangwala, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ultrasonic

• anharmonic
• anionic
• avionic
• catatonic
• cationic
• chorionic
• cosmogonic
• diachronic
• diatonic
• electronic
• embryonic
• excitonic

Kids Definition

ultrasonic

adjective

ul·​tra·​son·​ic ˌəl-trə-ˈsän-ik 

: relating to or being vibrations that are of the same kind as sound waves but have too high a frequency to be heard by the human ear

ultrasonically

-ˈsän-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

ultrasonic

adjective

ul·​tra·​son·​ic -ˈsän-ik 

1

a

: having a frequency above the human ear's audibility limit of about 20,000 hertz

—used of waves and vibrations

b

: utilizing, produced by, or relating to ultrasonic waves or vibrations

removal of tartar with an ultrasonic scaler

2

: ultrasound

ultrasonically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb