Dictionary.com

radiant

[ rey-dee-uhnt ]
/ ˈreɪ di ənt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: radiant / radiantly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
emitting rays of light; shining; bright: the radiant sun; radiant colors.
bright with joy, hope, etc.: radiant smiles; a radiant future.
Physics. emitted or propagated by radiation.
Heraldry.
  1. noting a partition line having a series of flamelike indentations formed by ogees joined in zigzags; rayonny.
  2. (of a charge, as an ordinary) having an edge or edges so formed.
noun
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of radiant

1400–50; late Middle English <Latin radiant- (stem of radiāns, present participle of radiāre to radiate light, shine), equivalent to radi(us) beam, ray (see radius) + -ant--ant

synonym study for radiant

1. See bright.

OTHER WORDS FROM radiant

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

How to use radiant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for radiant

radiant
/ (ˈreɪdɪənt) /

adjective
noun
a point or object that emits radiation, esp the part of a heater that gives out heat
astronomy the point in space from which a meteor shower appears to emanate

Derived forms of radiant

radiantly, adverb

Word Origin for radiant

C15: from Latin radiāre to shine, from radius ray of light, radius
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 radiant

radiant
[ rādē-ənt ]

Adjective
Transmitting light, heat, or other radiation. Stars, for example, are radiant bodies.
Consisting of or transmitted as radiation.
Noun
The apparent celestial origin of a meteor shower. For example, a point in the constellation Gemini is the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK