translucent
Americanadjective
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Allowing radiation (most commonly light) to pass through, but causing diffusion. Frosted glass, for example, is translucent to visible light.
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Compare transparent
Synonym Usage
See transparent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of translucent
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin trānslūcent- (stem of trānslūcēns ), present participle of trānslūcēre “to shine through”; see trans-, lucent
Explanation
A translucent material lets light pass through, but objects on the other side can't be seen clearly. Think Shrinky Dinks or stained glass. In contrast, a transparent material allows you to clearly see the objects on the other side. Frosted glass is translucent, and regular glass is transparent. But opaque glass doesn't let any light through at all, and so you can't see through it. The adjective translucent is from the Latin translucens, from translucere "to shine through."
Vocabulary lists containing translucent
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1
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Let There Be Light: Lum and Luc
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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.
"I love, love, love, love, love this toner," she says, as she rubs the translucent liquid into her skin.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Suggesting emergence rather than collapse, a winged metal woman rises from a hospital bed, bathed in multicolored light projected across the walls, while translucent metallic fragments dangle overhead.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Apple almost immediately introduced the bulbous and translucent iMac, a hit product that gave the company the necessary cash flow to survive until he could transform the entire business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
Under strong light, however, they become translucent with a grayish green hue.
From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026
Then she wafted through the back door, so pale she seemed translucent, and drifted to the couch, where she stayed, trembling.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
