Gloss · Words · Words for the senses

Words for what you see, hear and smell

Light, sound and smell have better words than most people use. A sound that is honey, a sound that is a crowd of car horns, the half-shadow at the edge of a shadow, the smell of a book you have not opened in years.

1. petrichor nounThe earthy smell that rises when rain falls on dry ground.
2. komorebi nounSunlight filtering through leaves, and the pattern it makes.
3. apricity nounThe warmth of the sun on a cold winter day.
4. aurora nounThe dawn; also the curtains of colored light in the night sky near the poles.
5. zephyr nounA soft, gentle breeze.
6. susurrus nounA soft, whispering sound, like leaves in a breeze or a crowd talking quietly.
7. cacophony nounA harsh mix of noises that do not go together.
8. mellifluous adjectiveA voice or sound that is smooth and sweet to hear.
9. sonorous adjectiveDeep, full, and rich in sound.
10. luminous adjectiveGiving off light, or bright as if lit from inside.
11. incandescent adjectiveGlowing with heat; also, brilliant, or burning with anger.
12. penumbra nounThe soft edge of a shadow, where light and dark mix.
13. diaphanous adjectiveSo light and thin you can almost see through it.
14. ethereal adjectiveSo light and delicate it seems not quite of this world.
15. verdant adjectiveGreen with growing plants.
16. resplendent adjectiveShining and splendid; dressed or lit to impress.
17. redolent adjectiveSmelling strongly of something, or strongly suggesting it.

Every word here is explained six ways on its own page, the way Gloss explains any word in the app: Plain, ADHD, Gen Z, Metaphor, Formal, or Like I’m 5. For iPhone, free for three days.

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