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Synonyms

incandescent

American  
[in-kuhn-des-uhnt] / ˌɪn kənˈdɛs ənt /

adjective

  1. (of light) produced by incandescence.

  2. glowing or white with heat.

  3. intensely bright; brilliant.

  4. brilliant; masterly; extraordinarily lucid.

    an incandescent masterpiece; incandescent wit.

  5. aglow with ardor, purpose, etc..

    the incandescent vitality of youth.
    Synonyms:
    dynamic, brilliant
incandescent British  
/ ˌɪnkænˈdɛsənt /

adjective

  1. emitting light as a result of being heated to a high temperature; red-hot or white-hot

  2. informal extremely angry; raging

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • incandescently adverb
  • nonincandescent adjective
  • nonincandescently adverb

Etymology

Origin of incandescent

1785–95; < Latin incandēscent- (stem of incandēscēns ), present participle of incandēscere to glow. See in- 2, candescent

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.

When Edison had his famous “lightbulb moment” in 1879, British scientist Joseph Swan was also on the cusp of inventing an incandescent lightbulb using similar techniques.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Mark Joseph Stern: This was one of the most incandescent judicial opinions I think I have ever seen.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2026

"The colourful incandescent lights are my favourite," she says.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

Overnight, AFP journalists saw Ukraine using tracer bullets and missile defence systems, and incandescent debris falling over large areas above the capital.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

By game time more than fifteen thousand fans had emptied into Ratliff Stadium, where a full moon, luscious and plump, sweetened the languid desert night and turned the sky an incandescent blue.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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.