iridescent

[ ir-i-des-uhnt ]

adjective

1. displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow.

noun

1. an iridescent cloth, material, or other substance:

   new fall dresses of imported iridescents.

iridescent

/ ˌɪrɪˈdɛsənt /

adjective

1. displaying a spectrum of colours that shimmer and change due to interference and scattering as the observer's position changes

Derived Forms

• ˌiriˈdescence, noun
• ˌiriˈdescently, adverb

Other Words From

• iri·descent·ly adverb
• nonir·i·descent adjective
• nonir·i·descent·ly adverb
• unir·i·descent adjective
• unir·i·descent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of iridescent¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; irid- + -escent

Word History and Origins

Origin of iridescent¹

C18: from irido- + -escent

Example Sentences

The clothes: Cocooned hoods, floor-grazing trench coats with a kind of backward veil, cinched jackets with ’80s proportions in leopard-printed pony hair and an iridescent shorts suit the color of rich amber.

From Los Angeles Times

Roan jumped around in a hot pink and electric blue lucha libre wrestler’s outfit made of latex, with iridescent leather accessories including a belt, mask, shin guards and wrist and upper arm cuffs.

From Los Angeles Times

There were still clouds, but so wispy they had an iridescent sheen like spun sugar.

From Los Angeles Times

When they slammed into Earth’s magnetic bubble, the world was treated to iridescent displays of the northern and southern lights.

From New York Times

Using electron microscopy, they found tiny cellular compartments packed tight with iridescent microspheres, just 130 to 160 nanometers across, that reflected green light more than other colors.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• lustrous
• pearly
• shimmering