pellucid
Americanadjective
-
allowing the maximum passage of light, as glass; translucent
- Antonyms:
- opaque
-
pellucid waters.
- Synonyms:
- transparent
- Antonyms:
- opaque
-
clear in meaning, expression, or style.
a pellucid way of writing.
- Antonyms:
- obscure
adjective
-
transparent or translucent
-
extremely clear in style and meaning; limpid
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pellucid
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin pellūcidus, variant of perlūcidus “transparent, radiant”; see origin at per-, lucid
Explanation
A sentence that teaches a new vocabulary word should always be pellucid, that is, its style and meaning should be easily understandable so that you can derive the definition from the sentence. You may have heard the word lucid, which means clear. Both lucid and pellucid derive from a Latin word that means "to shine through." Pellucid water is clear, a pellucid sky is a particularly intense shade of blue, pellucid prose is writing that's easy to understand, and pellucid singing is clear and light in tone.
Vocabulary lists containing pellucid
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Let There Be Light: Lum and Luc
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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.
George Balanchine’s pellucid “Mozartiana” was the first work to follow “Othello” in the run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
If you are missing cocktail bars, New York City before the shutdown or simply pellucid and startlingly intelligent poetry, “Three Poems” is a book for you.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2020
Gass was one of the great prose stylists, and the writing here is typically smooth and pellucid, conjuring its effects by stealth and unflagging control.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 2, 2019
His unadorned, pellucid prose may be the reason for Ken Liu’s swift rise to prominence in speculative fiction.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2016
Her lashes, he recalled, were golden red, her eyes pellucid blue.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
