Definition

1. Verb:

   • To emit energy, light, or heat in the form of rays or waves: To send out energy from a central point.
   • To extend or spread outward from a central point: To diverge or branch out in lines from a common center.
   • To show or express a strong positive feeling or quality clearly and powerfully: To project an emotion, vitality, or characteristic from oneself.

2. Adjective:

   • Having parts arranged like rays around a center; radiating: Characterized by a radial or star-like pattern.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:

  • The sun radiates heat and light. (The sun emits heat and light.)
  • Happiness radiated from her smile. (Her smile powerfully expressed happiness.)
  • The main roads radiate from the city center. (The main roads spread outward from the city center.)

• Adjective:

  • The flower has a radiate head with white petals. (The flower has a head with petals arranged like rays.)
  • The city's radiate street plan makes navigation easy. (The city's street plan, with roads spreading from a center, makes navigation easy.)

Advanced Usage

• "to radiate confidence": To project a strong sense of self-assurance.
  • Even during the crisis, the leader radiated confidence.
• "to radiate outwards": To spread out in all directions from a source or epicenter.
  • The shockwaves from the explosion radiated outwards.

Variants and Related Words

• Radiation (n): The process of emitting energy as waves or particles. Also, the energy emitted.
  • Exposure to high levels of radiation is dangerous.
• Radiant (adj): Shining brightly; emitting light or heat. Also, showing great joy, love, or health.
  • She looked radiant on her wedding day.
• Radiator (n): A device that heats a room by radiating warmth, or a device in a vehicle that cools the engine.
  • The old radiator clanked as it warmed up.

Synonyms

• Emit: To send out (light, heat, sound, etc.).
• Emanate: To flow out, issue, or proceed from a source (often used for abstract things like feelings).
• Beam: To emit or transmit, especially light or a radio signal; also, to smile radiantly.
• Glow: To emit a steady, warm, and often subdued light; to show a warm color or expression.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Radiate" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The sense of spreading out is often conveyed by "radiate from" or "radiate out.") - Radiate from: To have a source or origin at a specific point. - All the paths radiate from the old oak tree.

Related Idioms

• Radiate with (joy/health/pride): To be visibly full of a positive quality.
  • After winning the championship, the whole team radiated with pride.

Adjective

1. having rays or ray-like parts as in the flower heads of daisies
2. arranged like rays or radii; radiating from a common center
   • radial symmetry
   • a starlike or stellate arrangement of petals
   • many cities show a radial pattern of main highways

Verb

1. spread into new habitats and produce variety or variegate
   • The plants on this island diversified
2. issue or emerge in rays or waves
   • Heat radiated from the metal box
3. experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion
   • She was beaming with joy
   • Her face radiated with happiness
4. cause to be seen by emitting light as if in rays
   • The sun is radiating
5. have a complexion with a strong bright color, such as red or pink
   • Her face glowed when she came out of the sauna
6. extend or spread outward from a center or focus or inward towards a center
   • spokes radiate from the hub of the wheel
   • This plants radiate spines in all directions
7. send out real or metaphoric rays
   • She radiates happiness
8. send out rays or waves
   • The sun radiates heat