radiance

[rey-dee-uhns]

noun

1. radiant brightness or light.

   the radiance of the tropical sun.

   Synonyms: brilliance, splendor, resplendence

2. warm, cheerful brightness.

   the radiance of her expression.

3. Rare.,  radiation.

radiance

/ ˈreɪdɪəns /

noun

1. the quality or state of being radiant

2. Le. a measure of the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface. It is the radiant intensity in a given direction of a small element of surface area divided by the orthogonal projection of this area onto a plane at right angles to the direction

Other Word Forms

• nonradiance noun
• subradiance noun
• superradiance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of radiance¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; radi(ant) + -ance

Example Sentences

However flawed its narrative execution may be, the cinematography is beyond sublime, capturing the natural radiance of the grasslands and endless blue above.

Read more on Salon

Its singular radiance owes much to both romantic and religious impulses that Mr. Roeck’s book underplays.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And in their first feature lead role, the queer, L.A.-born actor Tonatiuh embodies all of Molina’s contradictions — his bluster, his pain, his radiance — to heart-wrenching effect.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The first bridge built comes when Mother, played with restrained warmth and radiance by Ms. Levy, discovers a newborn black baby half-buried in her garden.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As I squeezed the pedal harder, the animated speedometer—designed a bit like an Aztec sundial, with spiky points blooming around the center—grew in radiance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• warmth