noun · 7 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.
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Pronunciation
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US:/ˌɪnsoʊˈleɪʃən/
rhymes with -eɪʃən
1
noun
Meaning 1
The incident radiant energy emitted by the sun which reaches a unit area over a period of time, typically measured over a horizontal area at the Earth's surface or at the top of Earth's atmosphere.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
The difference in insolation between north-facing and south-facing slopes can affect microclimates as much as hundreds of miles of north-south distance on level ground.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The rate of delivery of such radiation.
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
3
noun
Meaning 3
The act or process of exposing to the rays of the sun, such as for the purpose of medical treatment, drying or maturing, as fruits, drugs, etc., or of rendering acid, as vinegar.
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
4
noun
Meaning 4
sunstroke.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, uncountable, usually
Topics: medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
therapeutic exposure to sunlight
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: heliotherapy
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: therapy
6
noun
Meaning 6
incident solar radiation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: solar radiation
7
noun
Meaning 7
sudden prostration due to exposure to the sun or excessive heat
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sunstroke, thermic fever, siriasis
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: heatstroke, heat hyperpyrexia
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French insolation, from Latin insolatio (“a setting or placing in the sun”).
Across languages
Translations
16 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Finnish:
insolaatio
— sun's radiant energy per unit area
Finnish:
auringonsäteily
— sun's radiant energy per unit area
Māori:
hihirā
— sun's radiant energy per unit area
Māori:
hihi kōmaru
— sun's radiant energy per unit area
Polish:
nasłonecznienie
— sun's radiant energy per unit area
Polish:
insolacja
— sun's radiant energy per unit area
Spanish:
insolación
— sun's radiant energy per unit area
Finnish:
insolaatio
— rate of delivery
Finnish:
auringonsäteilyn voimakkuus
— rate of delivery
Finnish:
aurinkohoito
— exposure to the rays of the sun
Finnish:
aurinkokylpy
— exposure to the rays of the sun
Finnish:
aurinkokuivaus
— exposure to the rays of the sun
Finnish:
aurinkokypsytys
— exposure to the rays of the sun
Greek:
ηλιασμός
(iliasmós)
— exposure to the rays of the sun
Irish:
grianrú
— exposure to the rays of the sun
Spanish:
insolación
— exposure to the rays of the sun
