opalescent

American  

[oh-puh-les-uhnt] / ˌoʊ pəˈlɛs ənt /

adjective

1. exhibiting a play of colors like that of the opal.

2. having a milky iridescence.

---

opalescent British  

/ ˌəʊpəˈlɛsənt /

adjective

1. having or emitting an iridescence like that of an opal

---

opalescent Scientific  

/ ō′pə-lĕs′ənt /

1. Exhibiting a milky iridescence like that of opal.

---

Other Word Forms

• opalescence noun
• opalescently adverb

Etymology

Origin of opalescent

First recorded in 1805–15; opal + -escent

Explanation

If you're familiar with the way that the gemstone opal shimmers like a pearl, then you'll understand that something opalescent reflects the light in the same way. Opal is a beautiful mineral with an almost magical, layered reflective quality that catches the eye the way a pearl does. Something opalescent has that same reflective quality. High-quality guitars, for example, often have opalescent inlays in the fingerboard that are not only beautiful but also useful. They can help the guitar player find her way around the instrument. Don't be fooled by imitations! Many fake jewels have an opalescent quality that mimics real pearl, but it's plastic, all the same.

Example Sentences

The crab is small, being around 15 millimeters in length, and is opalescent white-yellow in color.

From Science Daily • Oct. 8, 2025

They traded a few lines and harmonized beautifully on the chorus — her tone opalescent, his bringing some grit — but Combs never overshadowed Chapman.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2024

The powdered slurry becomes a strong, opalescent material called sintered glass.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 10, 2023

Beside us, in the lamplight, is a seated figure, inflamed and opalescent, like a flaring ember.

From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2020

The logs are dark brown and shiny, and they reflected opalescent colors in the beam of my head lamp.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston