Gloss · Words · Luminous

luminous

ˈluːmɪnəsadjective

What does luminous mean?

Giving off light, or bright as if lit from inside.

Luminous, six ways

PlainGiving off light, or bright as if lit from inside.
ADHDGlowing. Lit from within. Bright without trying.
Gen ZGlowing, but not in a ring-light way. In a lit-from-inside way.
MetaphorA lantern behind paper: the light is inside, and the surface only lets it through.
FormalFull of or shedding light; bright or shining, especially in the dark.
Like I’m 5Something that glows, like a nightlight or a firefly. That’s luminous.

How to pronounce luminous

LOO-muh-nus/ˈluːmɪnəs/

Luminous in a sentence

Her face was luminous in the candlelight.
The luminous hands of the watch glowed in the dark.
Her prose is luminous and precise.

Synonyms for luminous

radiantShining, often with joy.
glowingPlainer.
brightPlainest of all.

Where luminous comes from

Latin. Lumen, light.

Good to know

Literal for things that give off light; figurative for writing, faces and ideas that seem lit from within.

Luminous meaning, on a Gloss card: Giving off light, or bright as if lit from inside.

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Words like luminous

incandescent · resplendent · magnanimous · lugubrious · quixotic · ubiquitous · All 110 words

In: Beautiful words · Words for the senses · Latin and Greek roots