The smaller the body, the more likely the person will suffer from the ill effects of radiation.
Source: tatoeba (28591)
Radiation
/ˌɹæɪ.diˈæɪ.ʃən/
Synonyms for "radiation" (141 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (29)
Noun(4 words)
actinic rayactinismactivityarc lightingasteroidasteroidsatomic beamatomic rayattenuationaurora particlesbeambeam of lightbendsblack and whiteblackoutbroadcastbroadcastingchiaroscurocircumfusioncontrast
Show 5 more words
Strong matches (42)
diffusiondilutiondirect lightingdispensationdispersaldispersiondisseminationdissipationdistributiondivergenceelectric lightingemanationemissionenlightenmentevaporationexpansionfalloutfestoon lightingfloodlightingfluorescent lighting
Show 13 more words
fragmentationgamma raygaslightinggleamglow lightinghalf lifehighlighthighlightsilluminationincandescent lightingindirect lightinginfrared rayintergalactic matter
Verb(1 words)
emit noise
Related words (70)
invisible radiationirradianceirradiancyirradiationleamlightlight and shadelight sourcelightingluminous energymeteormeteor dust impactsmeteorsoverhead lightingpatchpencilpepperingphotonphotosensitivitypropagation
Show 42 more words
publicationradianceradiancyradiant energyradioraysradiusrayray of lightribbonribbon of lightsaturation pointscatteringscattermentsheddingshotgun patternsidelightsolar rayssowingspace bulletsspatteringsplayspokespot lightingspreadspreadingsprinklingstage lightingstreakstreamstream of lightstreamerstrewingstrip lightingsunthe bendstonalityultraviolet rayviolet rayvisible radiationvolatilizationweightlessnessx ray
Noun(7 words)
mode of heat transferradiant energyradiation sicknessradiation syndromeradiation therapyradioactivityradiotherapy
Verb(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: irradiation, actinic ray, actinism, actinotherapy, activity.
- Sentence evidence is available for radiation, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "radiation".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "radiation"
Keep "radiation" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "radiation" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "radiation", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "radiation" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
19 entriesShowing 16 of 19 words.
More specific
7 entriesalpha particlesgamma irradiationgamma raysinfrared radiationradiation therapysolar irradiationvisible light
Collocations
6 entriesionizing radiationnuclear radiationradiation doseradiation levelsolar radiationultraviolet radiation
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
7 entriesTranslations
48 translations across 31 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- rrezatim noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Arabic
1 entries- إِشْعَاع noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Armenian
1 entries- ճառագայթում noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Belarusian
1 entries- выпрамяне́нне noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Catalan
1 entries- radiació noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 放射 noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- 輻射 /辐射 noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Dutch
1 entries- straling noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Finnish
1 entries- säteily noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
French
1 entries- radiation noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Georgian
2 entries- გამოსხივება noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- სხივთფენა noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
German
1 entries- Strahlung noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Hungarian
3 entries- kisugárzás noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- radiáció noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- sugárzás noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Indonesian
1 entries- radiasi noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Italian
1 entries- radiazione noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Japanese
2 entries- 放射 noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- 輻射 noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Korean
2 entries- 방사 noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- 폭사 noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Malay
1 entries- sinaran noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Māori
3 entries- hihinga noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- tūhekenga noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- whitinga noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- utstråling noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Persian
1 entries- تابش noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Polish
1 entries- promieniowanie noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Portuguese
2 entries- irradiação noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- radiação noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Romanian
1 entries- radiație noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Russian
1 entries- излуче́ние noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- radijácija noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- zráčēnje noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- зра́че̄ње noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- радија́ција noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Slovene
2 entries- sévanje noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- žárčenje noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Spanish
1 entries- radiación noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Swedish
2 entries- strålning noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- utstrålning noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Tagalog
2 entries- ninag noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- radyasyon noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Ukrainian
2 entries- випромі́нення noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- випромі́нювання noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Vietnamese
2 entries- bức xạ noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
- phóng xạ noun (shooting forth of anything from a point or surface)
Sample sentences
15 total sentences available.
After being exposed to a large amount of radiation, vomiting and diarrhea will start quickly.
Source: tatoeba (326621)
It's evident that human behaviour is more dangerous for the environment than radiation.
Source: tatoeba (463495)
In this paper they made the remarkable prediction that radiation (in the form of photons) from the very hot stages of the universe should still be around today.
Source: tatoeba (611894)
Showing 4 of 15 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "radiation"?
Closest matches include irradiation, actinic ray, actinism, actinotherapy, activity.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "radiation"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.