Top Definitions
Quiz
Related Content
Examples
British
Scientific

prismatic

[ priz-mat-ik ]

/ prɪzˈmæt ɪk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for prismatic on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or like a prism.

formed by or as if by a transparent prism.

spectral in color; brilliant: prismatic colors.

highly varied or faceted: a prismatic existence.

VIDEO FOR PRISMATIC

Capture The Whole Rainbow In Just One Word

This brilliantly colorful word is a must have when describing all things rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns. You're welcome.

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Sometimes pris·mat·i·cal .

Origin of prismatic

1700–10; <Greek prīsmat- (stem of prîsma) prism + -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM prismatic

pris·mat·i·cal·ly, adverbin·ter·pris·mat·ic, adjectiveun·pris·mat·ic, adjectiveun·pris·mat·i·cal, adjective

un·pris·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby prismatic

Priscilla, prise, prisere, prisiadka, prism, prismatic, prismatic compass, prismatic layer, prismatic telescope, prismatoid, prism binocular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prismatic in a sentence

Romantic poet John Keats once said Isaac Newton destroyed the poetry of the rainbow by explaining the prismatic reasons for its brilliant colors.
How Earth’s tumultuous history gave the Mid-Atlantic its beloved destinations|Walter Nicklin|June 4, 2021|Washington Post
Their laptops are beautifully designed, and they use prismatic batteries, which have a lifespan of three to four years, making HPs more convenient for heavy users than other brands.
Best 2 in 1 laptops: Work hard, play hard with these versatile picks|PopSci Commerce Team|January 27, 2021|Popular-Science
Each telling brings new details or perspective, making the book both repetitive and prismatic.
Elias Khoury: Profile of the Essential Arab Novelist Today|Jacob Silverman|August 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She talks in a prismatic way that I find perfect for the telephone—a back and forth of recognitions, observations, and phrases.
Terry Tempest Williams Talks About Her New Book, ‘When Women Were Birds’|Susan Salter Reynolds|May 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It is extremely soluble in water, and can be obtained in large transparent prismatic crystals, as in common sugar-candy.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry|Thomas Anderson
A burning labyrinth, in whose glowing passages the prismatic colors changed every moment.
Black Diamonds|Mr Jkai
We came on islands, enchanted islands, half-transparent with the prismatic lights of precious stones, of amethysts and emeralds.
Dream Tales and Prose Poems|Ivan Turgenev
The fruits are from three to four inches long, generally prismatic, as they grow thickly on the stem, and lie one over another.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
It forms white prismatic crystals; and, in its general properties, resembles bromide of potassium.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for prismatic

prismatic

/ (prɪzˈmætɪk) /

adjective

concerned with, containing, or produced by a prism

exhibiting bright spectral coloursprismatic light

crystallog another word for orthorhombic

Derived forms of prismatic

prismatically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for prismatic

prismatic

[ prĭz-măt′ĭk ]

Relating to or resembling a prism.

Formed by refraction of light through a prism, used especially of a spectrum of light.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.