phosphorescent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- phosphorescently adverb
- semiphosphorescent adjective
Etymology
Origin of phosphorescent
First recorded in 1760–70; phosphor(us) + -escent
Explanation
Anything phosphorescent emits light but not much heat. Phosphorescent things glow in the dark. Have you ever seen a lightning bug? They're a lot easier to spot at night, because they glow, giving off light and looking like flying, dancing night lights. The word for creatures and things like lightning bugs is phosphorescent. Phosphorescent things give off hardly any heat, but they radiate light. Glow-in-the-dark toys are phosphorescent. It can help you remember this word if you know that phosphorus is a substance that emits light, so anything that does so is phosphorescent.
Vocabulary lists containing phosphorescent
The Old Man and the Sea
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3
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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
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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.
At night, far from shore, more stars flickered than he’d ever noticed, and he was awestruck by the way phosphorescent creatures set the waves aglow.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025
Earlier approaches achieved this effect with flexible LEDs that used red and yellow phosphorescent dyes to create a candle-like warmth.
From Science Daily • Oct. 11, 2025
Even without drinking the phosphorescent liquid, I can taste the sweetness of the artificial syrup I once savored.
From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024
I marveled at her brilliant and gorgeous white flowers, especially during the magical blue hour when she would almost seem phosphorescent.
From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024
At multiple depths, as far as I could see, there were evanescent trails of phosphorescent green bubbles, the wake of speeding fish.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
