iridescent
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of iridescent
Explanation
Iridescent is an adjective that means lustrous and pearly, giving off a brilliant sheen like an oil slick or, well, a pearl. Iridescent came to be in 1796, when some enthusiastic word maker took the Latin word iris, which means "rainbow," and morphed it into an English word that describes anything giving off a luminous, rainbow sheen or that changes color in the light. It's a great descriptive word — if you can resist the urge to spell it with an extra "r."
Vocabulary lists containing iridescent
The Old Man and the Sea
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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.
The team found that sea silk's iridescent appearance comes from layered spherical protein structures known as "photonin."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
The photo chosen to represent Swift's image shows her on stage "holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots", according to the trademark application.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
Where her vision clears, she’s in a hall lit by candlelight and crystal chandeliers draped in pearls, dressed in an iridescent gown and jewels evocative of the decade’s New Romantic style.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
The collection's theme was "cangiante", an Italian word synonymous with iridescent and describing "something that remains entirely itself, yet changes depending on your perspective", the brand said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026
Perhaps the most beautiful type of dragon, it has iridescent, pearly scales and glittering, multi-coloured, pupil-less eyes, hence its name.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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.
