refractive

[ri-frak-tiv]

adjective

1. of or relating to refraction.

2. Also having power to refract.

Other Word Forms

• refractively adverb
• refractiveness noun
• nonrefractive adjective
• nonrefractively adverb
• nonrefractiveness noun
• unrefractive adjective
• unrefractively adverb
• unrefractiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of refractive¹

First recorded in 1665–75, refractive is from the Late Latin word refrāctīvus (of pronouns) reflexive. See refract, -ive

Example Sentences

“If somehow that feedback is broken, for example, if kids are exposed to only a certain kind of wavelength, then that can mess up your refractive development.”

From Salon

The ensemble was excited by a linearly polarized green laser with a wavelength of 532 nanometers, and a high refractive index hemispherical lens was used to enhance the collection efficiency of the laser-induced fluorescence.

From Science Daily

"Excitons are very sensitive to the charge density in the material, and therefore we can change the refractive index of the material by applying a voltage," says Van de Groep.

From Science Daily

"Metalens-integrated cameras can be directly incorporated into the imaging modules of smartphones, where they could replace the traditional refractive bulk lenses," said Chen.

From Science Daily

However, the resin utilized as the printing material suffers from a drawback -- a low refractive index, hindering efficient light manipulation.

From Science Daily