radioactivelyadv.
/ˌreɪdɪəʊˈaktᵻvli/, U.S. /ˌreɪdioʊˈæktᵻvli/ By radioactive decay; with radioactive material; by means of a process or technique dependent upon radioactivity.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > [adverb]
radioactively1904
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactive isotope > radioactive nuclide > [adverb]
radioactively1904
radiogenically1930
1904 Science 22 Jan. 156/2 The study by an optical method of radio-actively produced condensation.
1925 J. Joly Surface-hist. Earth ix. 147 This method would not be reliable..if the lead was in either case unstable—i.e. ultimately changed radioactively into something else.
1959 Oxf. Univ. Gaz. 16 Mar. 795/2 In the event of nuclear warfare, farm products, particularly milk, obtained from a radio-actively contaminated soil might be positively harmful.
1968 R. A. Lyttleton Myst. Solar Syst. ii. 65 The release of radioactively produced energy means that the internal temperatures of the planets will have risen from their initial values.
1988 New Scientist 22 Oct. 25/3 The carbon-14 decays radioactively to nitrogen—half is lost every 5730 years.
2002 R. E. Spier Sci. & Technol. Ethics ix. 187 By using a radioactively labelled probe it is possible to characterize the genetic material of an individual human.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.1904