iridescent
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of iridescent
Explanation
Iridescent is an adjective that means lustrous and pearly, giving off a brilliant sheen like an oil slick or, well, a pearl. Iridescent came to be in 1796, when some enthusiastic word maker took the Latin word iris, which means "rainbow," and morphed it into an English word that describes anything giving off a luminous, rainbow sheen or that changes color in the light. It's a great descriptive word — if you can resist the urge to spell it with an extra "r."
Vocabulary lists containing iridescent
The Old Man and the Sea
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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.
The team found that sea silk's iridescent appearance comes from layered spherical protein structures known as "photonin."
From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026
Matt said the highlight of the experience would be the blue morpho butterfly from central America, "with iridescent blue wings, darting and flitting" around the space.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Outside is a serene garden under a canopy of branches weighed down by iridescent copper bells, all handmade.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
At another wholesale mall, iridescent streamers and gold mirror balls hung from the ceiling of Wen Linpeng's shop selling colourful soap bars, perfumes and make-up products.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
He emerged from the water twenty feet from the man, the beautiful green head trailing from its outstretched wing, the sun striking the iridescent plumage.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
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.
