Phrase guide

background radiation

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

radiation coming from sources other than those being observed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: background, background signal

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ճառագայթային ֆոն (čaṙagaytʻayin fon) — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 本底輻射 /本底辐射 (běndǐ fúshè) — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Danish: baggrundsstråling — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Dutch: achtergrondstraling — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Finnish: taustasäteily — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • French: rayonnement de fond — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • German: Hintergrundstrahlung — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Hungarian: háttérsugárzás — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Icelandic: bakgrunnsgeislun — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Norwegian: bakgrunnsstråling — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Russian: радиационный фон (radiacionnyj fon) — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Swedish: bakgrundsstrålning — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment
  • Vietnamese: phông phóng xạ — ionizing radiation that is naturally present in the environment