irradiate
ir·rad·i·ate/ɪˈɹeɪdɪət/adjective, verb
irradiate is spelled I-R-R-A-D-I-A-T-E: 9 letters and 4 syllables (ir·rad·i·ate). It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 101,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, irradiate means “Made brilliant or bright; irradiated, illuminated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in irradiate?
| Letters | 9: I-R-R-A-D-I-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: ir·rad·i·ate |
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 101,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is irradiate?
Irradiate appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 101,613th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce irradiate?
- US /ɪˈɹeɪdɪət/
As a verb (“To send out (heat, light, or some other form of radiation)…”): /ɪˈɹeɪdɪeɪt/, /ɪˈɹeɪdiˌeɪt/.
Irradiate has 4 syllables, split ir·rad·i·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-irradiate2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-irradiate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of irradiate
- more irradiate comparative
- most irradiate superlative
- irradiates present, singular, he/she/it
- irradiating participle, present
- irradiated participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does irradiate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Made brilliant or bright; irradiated, illuminated.
- 2
Made splendid or wonderful.
verb
- 1
To send out (heat, light, or some other form of radiation) in the form of rays; to radiate.
- 2
To make (someone or something) bright by shining light on them or it; to brighten, to illuminate.
- 3
To treat (food) with ionizing radiation to destroy pathogens.
- 4
To treat (a patient, or a cancerous growth or tumour) with radiation.
- 5
To animate or enliven (one's mood, or soul or spirit).
- 6
To cause (one's face) to look beautiful, happy, or lively; to light up.
- 7
To decorate (a place) splendidly.
- 8
To enlighten (someone, their mind, etc.) intellectually or spiritually; to illuminate, to shed light on.
This book might irradiate your mind
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Irradiate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to apply radiation other than visible light to (someone or something); to treat :
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | bestrahlen |
| Spanish | radiar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does irradiate come from?
From Middle English irradiate (“illuminated, shining”), borrowed from Medieval Latin irradiātus, perfect passive participle of irradiō, from ir- (“against; into; on, upon”) + radiō (“to cause to radiate, irradiate; to emit beams, radiate”), from radius (“ray of light; rod, staff; spoke of a wheel”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix) (further etymology uncertain; possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁t- (“beam; pole; post”)). The adjective is attested earlier than the verb. The English word is analysable as in- (“against; into; on, upon”) + radiate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).