fulgent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- fulgently adverb
- fulgentness noun
- interfulgent adjective
- subfulgent adjective
- subfulgently adverb
- unfulgent adjective
- unfulgently adverb
Etymology
Origin of fulgent
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin fulgent- (stem of fulgēns, present participle of fulgēre ), equivalent to fulg- flash + -ent- -ent
Explanation
The adjective fulgent is good for describing something that shines so brightly that it's dazzling. You might talk about the fulgent night sky you can see in the countryside, bright with stars and a brilliant moon. The word fulgent is a fairly uncommon one, but it's a perfect way to describe a brilliant or sparkling shine. Sunrise over the ocean can be fulgent, the light reflecting brightly off the water, and a movie star's glittering diamond jewelry might also be called fulgent. You can also use the word in a figurative way, to describe someone's dazzling personality. The Latin root is fulgentem, "shining, bright."
Vocabulary lists containing fulgent
National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3
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Let There Be Light: Synonyms for "Bright"
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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.
Handel’s fulgent “Dixit Dominus” features flamboyantly dramatic choral writing.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2022
Her voice was rich and fulgent, and she clasped her hands as if in supplication.
From Washington Post • Oct. 23, 2017
It’s “The Greatest Love of All,” a song of such earnestness and fulgent self-esteem that under no circumstances could it also be cool, under no circumstances could it be “Before I Let Go.”
From New York Times • Jun. 16, 2016
Cloistered in his Harvard office, he was busy turning out more Lost Positives: licit, iterate, fulgent, prentice, placable, delible, souciant, effable, vertently, fangled, sponsible, pression, fatigable.
From Time Magazine Archive
A wreath of light his fulgent brows array'd, That, shifting, with a thousand colours play'd.
From Gustavus Vasa and other poems by Walker, William Sidney
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.
