pellucid

American  

[puh-loo-sid] / pəˈlu sɪd /

adjective

1. allowing the maximum passage of light, as glass; translucent

   Antonyms:

   opaque

2. clear; limpid.

   pellucid waters.

   Synonyms:

   transparent

   Antonyms:

   opaque

3. clear in meaning, expression, or style.

   a pellucid way of writing.

   Antonyms:

   obscure

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pellucid British  

/ pɛˈluːsɪd /

adjective

1. transparent or translucent

2. extremely clear in style and meaning; limpid

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Other Word Forms

• pellucidity noun
• pellucidly adverb
• pellucidness noun
• subpellucid adjective
• subpellucidity noun
• subpellucidly adverb
• subpellucidness noun

Etymology

Origin of pellucid

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin pellūcidus, variant of perlūcidus “transparent, radiant”; see origin at per-, lucid

Explanation

A sentence that teaches a new vocabulary word should always be pellucid, that is, its style and meaning should be easily understandable so that you can derive the definition from the sentence. You may have heard the word lucid, which means clear. Both lucid and pellucid derive from a Latin word that means "to shine through." Pellucid water is clear, a pellucid sky is a particularly intense shade of blue, pellucid prose is writing that's easy to understand, and pellucid singing is clear and light in tone.

Example Sentences

George Balanchine’s pellucid “Mozartiana” was the first work to follow “Othello” in the run.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

A sea foam green salmon, its pellucid glass skin reflecting the light, swims upstream across the white wall.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2024

Developing the lo-fi blues of his early work and pre-empting Sea Change’s pellucid studies of a wrecked relationship, Beck’s wallowing is given an almost mystical edge by Indian drones and sitar tolling underneath it.

From The Guardian • Jul. 2, 2020

He has done this in a breezy, pellucid manner, with a rare talent for explaining abstruse concepts — say, collateralized debt obligations — so that even I can understand them.

From New York Times • Oct. 8, 2018

Her lashes, he recalled, were golden red, her eyes pellucid blue.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor