phosphorescent
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- phosphorescently adverb
- semiphosphorescent adjective
Etymology
Origin of phosphorescent
First recorded in 1760–70; phosphor(us) + -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.
At night, far from shore, more stars flickered than he’d ever noticed, and he was awestruck by the way phosphorescent creatures set the waves aglow.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025
Earlier approaches achieved this effect with flexible LEDs that used red and yellow phosphorescent dyes to create a candle-like warmth.
From Science Daily • Oct. 11, 2025
Guided by phosphorescent compasses strapped to their wrists, the divers reached the ship in just a few minutes.
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025
Even without drinking the phosphorescent liquid, I can taste the sweetness of the artificial syrup I once savored.
From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024
He pecks for a moment at the scarecrow’s pole that rises in the center of the whirlpool eye, dislodging a tiny phosphorescent sea slug and devouring it.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
