backlit

[bak-lit]

adjective

1. illuminated from behind.

   The space probe was able to capture backlit images of Saturn’s rings from the far side of its moons.

2. Electronics.,  (of a flat-panel screen) illuminated by a backlight; able to show an image, even in low light, because a light source is projected behind the screen, creating a contrast for the user.

   Backlit screens on phones and tablets have been shown to disrupt sleep patterns when used at bedtime.

backlit

/ bækˈlɪt /

adjective

1. illuminated from behind

   a backlit screen

Word History and Origins

Origin of backlit¹

First recorded in 1955–60; back ¹ + lit ¹

Example Sentences

In another photo, Lil Nas X posed in front of a backlit mirror in a gold gown, white cowboy boots and a tiara.

From Los Angeles Times

In another photo, Lil Nas X poses in front of a backlit mirror as he wears a gold gown, white cowboy boots and a tiara.

From Los Angeles Times

Backlit, with natural light coming from the large windows behind him on a recent afternoon, Khondji appears shrouded in darkness, at times like an enigmatic silhouette with a halo of sunshine around his fuzzy hair.

From Los Angeles Times

Even the bathrooms are opulent in that uncanny, chain-restaurant way: part suburban shopping plaza, part Ancient Egyptian bathhouse, all backlit marble and echoing tile.

From Salon

He was born to pose backlit by a pyre of flaming zombies and does so here, with the hot wind tickling his locks perfectly.

From Los Angeles Times