iridescent

[ ir-i-des-uhnt ]
See synonyms for iridescent on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow.

noun
  1. an iridescent cloth, material, or other substance: new fall dresses of imported iridescents.

Origin of iridescent

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; irid- + -escent

Other words from iridescent

  • ir·i·des·cent·ly, adverb
  • non·ir·i·des·cent, adjective
  • non·ir·i·des·cent·ly, adverb
  • un·ir·i·des·cent, adjective
  • un·ir·i·des·cent·ly, adverb

Words Nearby iridescent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use iridescent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for iridescent

iridescent

/ (ˌɪrɪˈdɛsənt) /


adjective
  1. displaying a spectrum of colours that shimmer and change due to interference and scattering as the observer's position changes

Origin of iridescent

1
C18: from irido- + -escent

Derived forms of iridescent

  • iridescence, noun
  • iridescently, adverb

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