radiance
Americannoun
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radiant brightness or light.
the radiance of the tropical sun.
- Synonyms:
- brilliance, splendor, resplendence
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warm, cheerful brightness.
the radiance of her expression.
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Rare. radiation.
noun
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the quality or state of being radiant
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Le. a measure of the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface. It is the radiant intensity in a given direction of a small element of surface area divided by the orthogonal projection of this area onto a plane at right angles to the direction
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of radiance
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Explanation
Radiance is a type of glowing: either from a light source like the sun or a healthy, beaming person. The sun radiates lights, and bright objects that give off light rays have a quality called radiance. The sun's radiance can be felt the strongest in the afternoon. We use lights for their radiance: they brighten rooms and streets. Also, if someone is happy and healthy, we can talk about their radiance. A sign of radiance in a person is a wide smile, and pregnant women are often said to have a glow or radiance because they’re full of life.
Vocabulary lists containing radiance
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
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"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
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A Single Shard
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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.
Carnival Radiance is one of the cruise line’s oldest vessels, having launched in 2000 under its original name, Carnival Victory.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025
The bride at Radiance is called Dua — “like Dua Lipa,” said her husband Asher — and she went to three other weddings this season.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 2024
"Raman maintained a strict separation of sexes in his laboratory," Sur writes in an essay in her book, Dispersed Radiance: Caste, Gender, and Modern Science in India.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2023
Both men now work for Radiance Technologies, a Huntsville, Alabama–based defense contractor.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 29, 2022
“These are grievous times. Your Radiance, might I presume to offer you my counsel?”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
