How to Use refractive in a Sentence
refractive
adjective-
This destroys the feather’s refractive structures, and the crimp reverts to the plain, grayish brown of any bird.
—Dave Taft, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2017
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The refractive polish is at once classic and playful—ideal for a day spent in the company of loved ones.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2023
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Once the light makes the electrons uncomfortable, the intensity of the light changes the refractive index.
—Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 31 July 2017
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Light always moves through a vacuum at the same speed, but it gets slowed down by a factor called the refractive index in a medium like water or glass.
—Lisa Grossman, WIRED, 29 Sep. 2010
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Known for their high refractive indices and high chromium content, the gems are top contenders for the title of world’s rarest emeralds, simply for the fact that the mines are largely tapped out.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2022
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These researchers found an older (over 500-million-years-old) trilobite eye a few years ago and noted a meager, non-calcite lens that left the refractive work to beefy cone cells.
—Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, 15 Aug. 2020
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To our surprise, more time outdoors had a protective effect and reduced the chances that a child would go on to need myopic refractive correction in the future.
—CNN, 3 Oct. 2017
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In July, the bride is to begin a fellowship in cornea, refractive surgery and external diseases at Mass Eye and Ear, where the groom is to begin the third year of his residency.
—New York Times, 28 May 2017
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Some children are progressing to high myopia, which is when a prescription or the refractive error is minus six diopters or more.
—Sumathi Reddy, WSJ, 31 May 2021
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The warm, refractive tones played well with Hadid's blonde (yet still slightly burnished) mane, her golden goddess vibes furthered by a saffron tee and gilded chain.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2021
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The fishing mantis came by only at night, though, and appeared to have little trouble adapting to the refractive shifting that occurs when light enters the water.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2018
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There are other kinds of refractive errors that can mess with your vision, but the point is that corrective lenses like eyeglasses can help address them.
—Patia Braithwaite, SELF, 20 Nov. 2019
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Holographic films used to focus the image onto the eye also eliminate the need for the kinds of bulky refractive lensing systems found in current headsets.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 30 June 2020
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People with persistent refractive error may need to wear glasses or contact lenses even after surgery, but this is less likely with the light-adjustable lens.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 28 July 2022
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To accompany her refractive and fringed Versace dress, Doja pulled her onyx mane into an extra-long updo, the ponytail tautly twisted and left to reach well past her hips.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2020
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The ultra-thin eye piece is made possible by a holographic lens, which can be installed much closer to the display panel than a conventional refractive lens.
—Fortune, 7 July 2020
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Her looks also lean chameleonic, both reflective and refractive.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2022
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His color palettes, which can range from brilliant orange and blue to crepuscular pinks and purples, seem to evoke land, sky and light in its myriad reflective and refractive states.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2022
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Nearly 80 percent of impaired vision is caused by cataracts or refractive disorders, which are treatable.
—Science, 3 Dec. 2020
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The second most common type is refractive amblyopia, which is when the eyes have a significant difference in prescription.
—Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 24 Nov. 2021
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Its aim was to understand refractive errors in vision that cause blurring and spectacle usage among truckers and transporters.
—Prachi Salve, Quartz India, 12 Feb. 2020
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This astounding range of colors is due to the refractive nanostructures in hummingbird feather barbules.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 26 June 2022
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The new technique records two images simultaneously, one with a refractive lens, the other with a conical prism known as a refractive axicon.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Oct. 2023
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A measurement called the refractive index (RI) tells us how quickly light travels through various types of materials.
—Mark Strauss, National Geographic, 9 Dec. 2016
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Then, jury president Julianne Moore balanced her splashy, sheer, and refractive Alaïa with a demure low ponytail bound in a black bow, cementing the hair ribbon as one of the year’s most enduring finishing touches.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2022
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Johnson deftly spins the little that is definitively known about the life of Mary Ellen into a refractive portrait of a spirited, restless individual.
—The New Yorker, 7 June 2020
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Their collective vision is represented in the hypnotic new video, which sees Gandhi, Ti and Catherine moving through a series of refractive-light sets, interacting with waterfalls, a romantic pool, and, in Gandhi's case, a killer drum set.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 21 Jan. 2020
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These nanopillars can manipulate light waves with a degree of control not possible with traditional refractive lenses.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 May 2023
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Uncorrected refractive errors cause blurring of vision, ocular strain, fatigue and headaches.
—Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, miamiherald, 15 Jan. 2018
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Contact lenses on the other hand sit directly on the eye's surface and achieve vision correction by altering the way light enters the eye, effectively offsetting refractive errors and helping in focusing light accurately onto the retina.
—Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refractive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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