ultraviolet

ul·tra·vi·o·let | \ ˌəl-trə-ˈvī-(ə-)lət

Definition of ultraviolet

1 : situated beyond the visible spectrum at its violet end —used of radiation having a wavelength shorter than wavelengths of visible light and longer than those of X-rays

2 : relating to, producing, or employing ultraviolet radiation

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Examples of ultraviolet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1986, one of his instruments captured an ultraviolet image of Halley’s comet. — Washington Post, "George R. Carruthers, scientist who designed telescope that went to the moon, dies at 81," 31 Dec. 2020 An earlier study showed that the chemical disinfectants airlines are using, including electrostatic foggers and ultraviolet wands, are effective in removing the coronavirus from airplane surfaces. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Vaccine relief, ‘cooking the virus,’ drive-in legislating: News from around our 50 states," 17 Dec. 2020 And hummingbirds get information from the ultraviolet hues that some flowers reflect. — Cara Giaimo, New York Times, "Platypuses Glow Under Blacklight. We Have No Idea Why.," 13 Nov. 2020 The second signal, according to Becker, was the detection of iron oxide ultraviolet absorption bands. — Francesca Giuliani-hoffman, CNN, "Psyche, an asteroid believed to be worth $10,000 quadrillion, is observed through Hubble Telescope in new study," 31 Oct. 2020 Inside, the owners made a high-tech investment, adding ultraviolet air filters to kill bacteria and germs, McNulty said. — Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, "The patio problem: Restaurants get creative as cold weather threatens outdoor dining during pandemic," 27 Oct. 2020 Tests swiftly verified that WAM's taxidermied platypuses did indeed glow, which made Kenny Travouillon, the museum's curator of mammalogy, wonder if there might be other unexpected ultraviolet biofluorescence lurking in their collections. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Wombats and Tasmanian Devils Glow Under Ultraviolet Light," 28 Dec. 2020 The airport has installed ultraviolet lighting units in the heating and cooling system’s 11 air handling units at a cost of $45,121. — Ron Wood, Arkansas Online, "XNA officials considering air cleaning systems," 18 Dec. 2020 On Monday, the department took delivery of a Braun Liberty ambulance that is outfitted with an ultraviolet filtration system in its air conditioning unit. — Anna Caplan, Dallas News, "McKinney’s new ambulance comes with COVID-19 fighting equipment," 17 Dec. 2020

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

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Last Updated

18 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Ultraviolet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ultraviolet. Accessed 28 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for ultraviolet

ultraviolet

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of ultraviolet

technical —used to describe rays of light that cannot be seen and that are slightly shorter than the rays of violet light

See the full definition for ultraviolet in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ultraviolet

adjective

ul·tra·vi·o·let | \ ˌəl-trə-ˈvī-ə-lət

Kids Definition of ultraviolet

: relating to, producing, or being energy that is like light but has a slightly shorter wavelength and lies beyond the violet end of the spectrum

ultraviolet

adjective

ul·tra·vi·o·let | \ ˌəl-trə-ˈvī-(ə-)lət

Medical Definition of ultraviolet

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : situated beyond the visible spectrum at its violet end —used of radiation having a wavelength shorter than wavelengths of visible light and longer than those of X-rays

2 : relating to, producing, or employing ultraviolet radiation

ultraviolet

noun

Medical Definition of ultraviolet (Entry 2 of 2)

: ultraviolet radiation