ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ultrasonic

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˌəɫtɹəˈsɑnɪk// UK //ˌʊltɹɐsˈɒnɪk// ul·tra·son·ic

adj. describing sound waves that are too high for humans to hear. You often hear about this in medicine or when talking about how animals like bats communicate.

adj. relating to sound waves with a frequency above the upper limit of human hearing, typically exceeding 20 kilohertz. Often describes diagnostic imaging or industrial cleaning processes.


SIMPLE

The doctor uses an ultrasonic scanner to see the baby.

CONTEXTUAL

Bats navigate through the dark forest by emitting ultrasonic pulses and listening for the echoes.

COMPLEX

Engineers employed ultrasonic testing to detect microscopic cracks in the aircraft's fuselage that were invisible to the naked eye.

Synonyms
Origin

From ultra- + sonic.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun.

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