luminous

[ loo-muh-nuhs ]

adjective

1. radiating or reflecting light; shining; bright.

   Synonyms: brilliant, resplendent, radiant, lucid

   Antonyms: dark

2. lighted up or illuminated; well-lighted:

   the luminous ballroom.

   Antonyms: dark

3. brilliant intellectually; enlightened or enlightening, as a writer or a writer's works:

   a luminous concept; luminous prose.

   Synonyms: intelligent, bright

   Antonyms: stupid

4. clear; readily intelligible:

   a concise, luminous report.

   Synonyms: lucid, perspicuous, understandable

   Antonyms: obscure

luminous

/ ˈluːmɪnəs /

adjective

1. radiating or reflecting light; shining; glowing

   luminous colours

2. not in technical use exhibiting luminescence

   luminous paint

3. full of light; well-lit
4. (of a physical quantity in photometry) evaluated according to the visual sensation produced in an observer rather than by absolute energy measurements Compare radiant

   luminous intensity

   luminous flux

5. easily understood; lucid; clear
6. enlightening or wise

Derived Forms

• ˈluminously, adverb
• ˈluminousness, noun

Other Words From

• lumi·nous·ly adverb
• lumi·nous·ness noun
• non·lumi·nous adjective
• non·lumi·nous·ly adverb
• non·lumi·nous·ness noun
• self-lumi·nous adjective
• semi·lumi·nous adjective
• semi·lumi·nous·ly adverb
• semi·lumi·nous·ness noun
• un·lumi·nous adjective
• un·lumi·nous·ly adverb
• un·lumi·nous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of luminous¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word lūminōsus. See lumen, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of luminous¹

C15: from Latin lūminōsus full of light, from lūmen light

Example Sentences

“Company” is always worth the time, and Coleman anchors the central role with a luminous humanity.

From Los Angeles Times

The Rabbit R1 is a fun bit of hardware, in an era where nothing is tactile any more, a luminous orange square with a big screen that you definitely won’t lose in your handbag.

From BBC

This discovery was not just a new distance record for our team; the most important aspect of JADES-GS-z14-0 was that at this distance, we know that this galaxy must be intrinsically very luminous.

From Science Daily

The videos, which have circulated widely across social media, are incredibly wholesome: The question is asked, and moms and dads are immediately luminous, momentarily transported to another time before they fall into an all-too-familiar rhythm.

From Salon

However, this study revealed a surprising finding: the orphan stars instead circled a point between the two most luminous galaxies in the cluster.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• brilliant
• incandescent
• lucid
• lustrous
• radiant
• shining
• translucent
• vivid