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Showing results for iridescent. Search instead for iridesce.
Synonyms

iridescent

American  
[ir-i-des-uhnt] / ˌɪr ɪˈdɛs ənt /

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.
iridescent British  
/ ˌɪrɪˈdɛsənt /

adjective

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

"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

  • iridescence noun
  • iridescently adverb
  • noniridescent adjective
  • noniridescently adverb
  • uniridescent adjective
  • uniridescently adverb

Etymology

Origin of iridescent

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

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.

This elusive, iridescent predator relies on split-second timing and is rarely seen, let alone photographed.

From BBC

I stared where she was looking and, yes, there it was: iridescent blue above, bright orange below.

From Literature

Men in long frock coats and women in iridescent shot silk raised toasts.

From Literature

I must have pulled the cap off my pen without noticing, and now my hands are an iridescent pink.

From Literature

Its body was covered in gray-green iridescent scales, and it shone.

From Literature

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.