Standard Lemma guide

infrared

adj · noun · 8 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, UK, US: /ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˌɪnfɹəˈɹed/
  • South-Asia: /ɪn.fɾɑ.ɾĕɖ/
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N F R ER0 EH1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having a wavelength in the infrared spectrum.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: mid-infrared, near-infrared

2

adj

Meaning 2

Relating to very low energies or very large distances or time spans.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, not-comparable

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: ultraviolet

3

noun

Meaning 3

The electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation, having a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electromagnetic radiation

4

noun

Meaning 4

A specific wavelength in this range.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A device that emits infrared radiation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

having or employing wavelengths longer than light but shorter than radio waves; lying outside the visible spectrum at its red end

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • infrared radiation
  • infrared photography

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum; electromagnetic wave frequencies below the visible range

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they could sense radiation in the infrared

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: infrared frequency

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: frequency, frequence, oftenness

8

noun

Meaning 8

electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than radio waves

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: infrared light, infrared radiation, infrared emission

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: actinic radiation, actinic ray

History

Etymology

From infra- + red.

Across languages

Translations

87 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَحْتَ اَلْحَمْرَاء (taḥta l-ḥamrāʔ) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Azerbaijani: infraqırmızı — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Basque: infragorri — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Belarusian: інфрачырво́ны (infračyrvóny) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Bulgarian: инфрачервен (infračerven) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Catalan: infraroig — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Chinese Mandarin: 紅外 /红外 (hóngwài) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Cornish: isrudh — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Czech: infračervený — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Danish: infrarød — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Dutch: infrarood — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Esperanto: transruĝa — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Esperanto: infraruĝa — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Finnish: infrapuna- — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Finnish: infrapunainen — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • French: infrarouge — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Georgian: ინფრაწითელი (inprac̣iteli) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • German: infrarot — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Greek: υπέρυθρος (ypérythros) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Hindi: अवरक्त (avrakt) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Hungarian: infravörös — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Irish: infridhearg — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Irish: fodhearg — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Italian: infrarosso — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Japanese: 赤外 (sekigai) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Kazakh: инфрақызыл (infraqyzyl) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Latvian: infrasarkans — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Macedonian: инфрацрвен (infracrven) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Manx: fo-yiarg — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Norman: înfra-rouoge — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Norwegian Bokmål: infrarød — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: infraraud — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Persian: فروسرخ (forusorx) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Polish: podczerwony — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Portuguese: infravermelho — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Romanian: infraroșu — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Russian: инфракра́сный (infrakrásnyj) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Scottish Gaelic: fo-dhearg — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Serbo-Croatian: инфрацрвен — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Serbo-Croatian: infracrven — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Spanish: infrarrojo — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Spanish: ultrarrojo — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Swedish: infraröd — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Turkish: kızılaltı — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Turkish: kızılötesi — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Ukrainian: інфрачерво́ний (infračervónyj) — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Vietnamese: hồng ngoại — having the wavelength in the infrared
  • Afrikaans: infrarooi — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Azerbaijani: infraqırmızı — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Bulgarian: инфрачервен (infračerven) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Catalan: infraroig — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Chinese Mandarin: 紅外線 /红外线 (hóngwàixiàn) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Czech: infračervený — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Danish: infrarød stråling — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Dutch: infrarood — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Esperanto: transruĝo — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Esperanto: infraruĝo — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Finnish: infrapuna — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • French: infrarouge — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Georgian: ინფრაწითელი გამოსხივება (inprac̣iteli gamosxiveba) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • German: Infrarot — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Greek: υπέρυθρος (ypérythros) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Hindi: अवरक्त (avrakt) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Hungarian: infravörös — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Icelandic: innrauða — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Indonesian: inframerah — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Irish: infridhearg — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Italian: infrarosso — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Japanese: 赤外線 (sekigaisen) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Korean: 적외선 (jeogoeseon) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Macedonian: инфрацрвено зрачење (infracrveno zračenje) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Malay: inframerah — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Mongolian: хэт улаан (xet ulaan) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Norman: înfra-rouoge — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Norwegian Bokmål: infrarød stråling — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: infraraud stråling — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Persian: فروسرخ (forusorx) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Polish: podczerwień — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Portuguese: infravermelho — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Scottish Gaelic: fo-dhearg — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Serbo-Croatian: infracrven — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Spanish: infrarrojo — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Swedish: infraröd strålning — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Tamil: அகச்சிவப்பு (akaccivappu) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Thai: อินฟราเรด (in-fraa-rèet) — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Turkish: kızılötesi — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
  • Welsh: isgoch — radiation of a wavelength between 700 nm and 1 mm
Real reading context

infrared in complete knowledge articles