fluorescent

American  

[floo-res-uhnt, flaw-, floh-] / flʊˈrɛs ənt, flɔ-, floʊ- /

adjective

1. possessing the property of fluorescence; exhibiting fluorescence.

2. strikingly bright, vivid, or glowing.

   plastic toys in fluorescent colors.

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noun

1. a lighting fixture that utilizes a fluorescent lamp.

fluorescent British  

/ ˌflʊəˈrɛsənt /

adjective

1. exhibiting or having the property of fluorescence

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Other Word Forms

• nonfluorescent adjective
• unfluorescent adjective

Etymology

Origin of fluorescent

First recorded in 1850–55; fluor- + -escent

Explanation

A fluorescent bulb gets its light from mercury vapor inside a glass tube. The incandescent bulb — the kind associated with Thomas Edison — has a filament that glows when it's heated. You can also use fluorescent to describe something that's so vivid and bright it seems to give off light. Fluorescent is related to the word fluorspar, or fluorite, which is a mineral that glows. Notice the -u- in these words. Fluorescent comes from the Latin fluere "to flow" — fluorspar can be added to welding compounds, for instance, to make them flow more easily. Florescent, without a -u-, means "flowering," from Latin flor-, which is a completely different root.

Example Sentences

To identify promising candidates, the team tested about 500 compounds using a specially engineered hepatitis E virus that produces a fluorescent signal.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

Something you accept with a paper napkin under fluorescent lighting and a murmur of gratitude.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

At Amsterdam's Cygnus Gymnasium school, a fluorescent yellow sign on the school gates warns pupils streaming in on their bikes: "Attention: from this point on, your phone must be in your locker. Thank you."

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

For his staging of the music from Prokofiev’s epilogue, Mr. Millepied makes much of the fluorescent light tubes that are part of Mr. Couture’s design.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

One of the fluorescent lights had started flickering halfway through class, exacerbating the pain, and Moss was eager to dart over to his locker and get his medication.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Related Words

• bright
• luminous
• rich
• shiny
• sunny