ab·la·tive
ˈa-blə-tiv 
: of, relating to, or being a grammatical case (see case entry 1 sense 3a) that typically marks a person, place, or thing from which someone or something else is separated or the source from which someone or something comes, and is also frequently used to indicate the cause of an event or condition or the instrument by which an action is accomplished see also ablative absolute
ablative
noun
ab·la·tive
a-ˈblā-tiv
ablatively
adverb
Examples of ablative in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
Fractional lasers can be ablative or non-ablative and are used primarily for cosmetic purposes such as treating age spots.7
What Is Skin Rejuvenation?
—Michelle Pugle, Verywell Health, 22 July 2024
The capsule, protected by ablative shielding, will perform a ballistic skip reentry, as performed during Chang’e-5, first bouncing off the atmosphere to kill some of the extra speed involved in lunar missions, before making a final, fiery plunge.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2024
Those with Black skin should avoid mechanical exfoliants (i.e., grainy scrubs), irritating skin-care ingredients (such as alcohol, propylene glycol, and lanolin), Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments, and ablative lasers — all of which can cause light and dark spots.
—Julie Ricevuto, Allure, 22 Oct. 2020
But Greig points out that ablative arc mining wouldn’t look like the environmentally-harmful pit mines on Earth; the mining region could be spread out, making some craters only slightly deeper.
—Ramin Skibba, Wired, 22 Sep. 2021
Please find another way to pose your questions. God of a lack of abundance,
ablative god, in the middle of a procession, in the middle of things god,
your desires are showing.
—Alice Gribbin, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023
In this case, there was still plenty of margin in the ablative material on Orion, meaning the unanticipated behavior seen in the heat shield posed no risk to the spacecraft.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 8 Mar. 2023
To aid creative re-use of lunar resources, Greig and her colleagues propose a technology called ablative arc mining that would slurp up water ice and the kinds of metals that could be used as building materials.
—Ramin Skibba, Wired, 22 Sep. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Ahead of the demo, SpaceX engineers reworked the rocket's heatshield, replacing the entire thermal protection system with newer tiles and a backup ablative layer.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
Fractional lasers can be ablative or non-ablative and are used primarily for cosmetic purposes such as treating age spots.7
What Is Skin Rejuvenation?
—Michelle Pugle, Verywell Health, 22 July 2024
The capsule, protected by ablative shielding, will perform a ballistic skip reentry, as performed during Chang’e-5, first bouncing off the atmosphere to kill some of the extra speed involved in lunar missions, before making a final, fiery plunge.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2024
Those with Black skin should avoid mechanical exfoliants (i.e., grainy scrubs), irritating skin-care ingredients (such as alcohol, propylene glycol, and lanolin), Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments, and ablative lasers — all of which can cause light and dark spots.
—Julie Ricevuto, Allure, 22 Oct. 2020
But Greig points out that ablative arc mining wouldn’t look like the environmentally-harmful pit mines on Earth; the mining region could be spread out, making some craters only slightly deeper.
—Ramin Skibba, Wired, 22 Sep. 2021
Please find another way to pose your questions. God of a lack of abundance,
ablative god, in the middle of a procession, in the middle of things god,
your desires are showing.
—Alice Gribbin, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023
In this case, there was still plenty of margin in the ablative material on Orion, meaning the unanticipated behavior seen in the heat shield posed no risk to the spacecraft.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 8 Mar. 2023
To aid creative re-use of lunar resources, Greig and her colleagues propose a technology called ablative arc mining that would slurp up water ice and the kinds of metals that could be used as building materials.
—Ramin Skibba, Wired, 22 Sep. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near ablative
Cite this Entry
“Ablative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ablative. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ablative
adjective
ab·la·tive
a-ˈblā-tiv, ə-
: relating to or involving surgical ablation
ablative treatment
ablative techniques
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share