luminous
Americanadjective
-
radiating or reflecting light; shining; bright.
- Synonyms:
- brilliant, resplendent, radiant, lucid
- Antonyms:
- dark
-
lighted up or illuminated; well-lighted.
the luminous ballroom.
- Antonyms:
- dark
-
brilliant intellectually; enlightened or enlightening, as a writer or a writer's works.
a luminous concept; luminous prose.
- Synonyms:
- intelligent, bright
- Antonyms:
- stupid
-
clear; readily intelligible.
a concise, luminous report.
- Synonyms:
- lucid, perspicuous, understandable
- Antonyms:
- obscure
adjective
-
radiating or reflecting light; shining; glowing
luminous colours
-
(not in technical use) exhibiting luminescence
luminous paint
-
full of light; well-lit
-
(of a physical quantity in photometry) evaluated according to the visual sensation produced in an observer rather than by absolute energy measurements Compare radiant
luminous flux
luminous intensity
-
easily understood; lucid; clear
-
enlightening or wise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of luminous
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word lūminōsus. See lumen, -ous
Explanation
Luminous means full of or giving off light. During the winter holidays, with all their emphasis on light, you can see luminous displays of candles everywhere. This word has several figurative meanings that are related to the basic sense of something shining. For example, luminous prose is clear and easily understood. And a luminous career is bright and inspiring. The Middle English adjective is from Latin luminosus, from lumen "light."
Vocabulary lists containing luminous
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Let There Be Light: Lum and Luc
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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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.
But the jets have been conducting what's been called "Operation Luminous" since the start of the war.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
"Discovery of an X-ray Luminous Radio-Loud Quasar at z = 3.4: A Possible Transitional Super-Eddington Phase" in the Astrophysical Journal on January 21, 2026.
From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026
Those who want to try their hand at it can use the Luminous playground for free for tasks such as summarizing text or completing an input.
From Scientific American • Jun. 15, 2023
Luminous Pariah was part of the original boylesque festival established by producer Jen Gapay in New York and has performed in every Seattle Boylesque Festival since Gapay’s Thirsty Girl Productions founded it in 2015.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2022
Luminous Stone, Vast Wall, Tiger Emperor....Another gust of icy air burst through the open door.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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.
