luminous
Americanadjective
-
radiating or reflecting light; shining; bright.
- Synonyms:
- brilliant, resplendent, radiant, lucid
- Antonyms:
- dark
-
lighted up or illuminated; well-lighted.
the luminous ballroom.
- Antonyms:
- dark
-
brilliant intellectually; enlightened or enlightening, as a writer or a writer's works.
a luminous concept; luminous prose.
- Synonyms:
- intelligent, bright
- Antonyms:
- stupid
-
clear; readily intelligible.
a concise, luminous report.
- Synonyms:
- lucid, perspicuous, understandable
- Antonyms:
- obscure
adjective
-
radiating or reflecting light; shining; glowing
luminous colours
-
(not in technical use) exhibiting luminescence
luminous paint
-
full of light; well-lit
-
(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 flux
luminous intensity
-
easily understood; lucid; clear
-
enlightening or wise
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of luminous
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word lūminōsus. See lumen, -ous
Explanation
Luminous means full of or giving off light. During the winter holidays, with all their emphasis on light, you can see luminous displays of candles everywhere. This word has several figurative meanings that are related to the basic sense of something shining. For example, luminous prose is clear and easily understood. And a luminous career is bright and inspiring. The Middle English adjective is from Latin luminosus, from lumen "light."
Vocabulary lists containing luminous
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Let There Be Light: Lum and Luc
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ms. Winger has always been a film actor of luminous transparency; her performance here, by contrast, feels cloaked in artifice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
At its center is an active galactic nucleus, or AGN, where a supermassive black hole is actively consuming material and generating a luminous accretion disk.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
There was no luminous dial or companionable tick, just four numbers—12, 3, 6 and 9—with slashes for the other hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
There are K-Pop Demon Hunters-themed skincare packs for a "glow-boosting routine" for "skin that looks luminous".
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
The sun is almost down, the sky orange and fiery on one side, luminous and blue on the other.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
