prismatic

[priz-mat-ik]

See more 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.

Sometimes pris·mat·i·cal.

Origin of prismatic

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

Related formspris·mat·i·cal·ly, adverbin·ter·pris·mat·ic, adjectiveun·pris·mat·ic, adjectiveun·pris·mat·i·cal, adjectiveun·pris·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for prismatic

pearly, shimmering, lustrous, motley, psychedelic, kaleidoscopic, disparate, mottled, checkered, gaudy, vivid, splashy, vibrant, multicolored, bright, flashy, rich, hued, conglomerate, rainbow

Examples from the Web for prismatic

Contemporary Examples of prismatic

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
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

Historical Examples of prismatic

Through his prismatic glasses Kingozi could see every detail plainly.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
Iridicolor: any color so broken up as to reflect the prismatic hues.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
The spray caught the sun and the prismatic colors added to the scene.
Old Rail Fence Corners
Various
In the gray Trant atmosphere she flashed with prismatic fires.
The Long Run
Edith Wharton
And, by the way, why in Heaven's name 'a prismatic compass'?
The Riddle of the Sands
Erskine Childers

British Dictionary definitions for prismatic

prismatic

adjective

concerned with, containing, or produced by a prism
exhibiting bright spectral coloursprismatic light
crystallog another word for orthorhombic

Derived Formsprismatically, 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

Word Origin and History for prismatic

adj.

1709, from Greek prismat-, stem of prisma (see prism) + -ic. Related: Prismatical (1650s).

prismatic in Science

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.