refulgent

[ri-fuhl-juh nt]

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adjective

shining brightly; radiant; gleaming: Crystal chandeliers and gilded walls made the opera house a refulgent setting for the ball.

Origin of refulgent

First recorded in 1500–10, refulgent is from the Latin word refulgent- (stem of refulgēns, present participle of refulgēre to radiate light). See re-, fulgent

Related formsre·ful·gence, re·ful·gen·cy, re·ful·gent·ness, nounre·ful·gent·ly, adverbun·re·ful·gent, adjectiveun·re·ful·gent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for refulgent

bright, brilliant, luminous, radiant, resplendent, shining

Examples from the Web for refulgent

Historical Examples of refulgent

So saying, and bestowing upon the locksmith a most refulgent smile, he left them.
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens
It was past noon; the great sun shone out with refulgent glory.
Saronia
Richard Short
It was not water, but new ice—smooth and refulgent as a mirror.
Red Rooney
R.M. Ballantyne
For six months of the year the sun is daily refulgent in the heavens, and sets evening after evening in all his glorious majesty.
Le Morvan, [A District of France,] Its Wild Sports, Vineyards and Forests; with Legends, Antiquities, Rural and Local Sketches
Henri de Crignelle
In all his previous career so refulgent a day had never been his.
The War With Mexico, Volume II (of 2)
Justin H. Smith

British Dictionary definitions for refulgent

refulgent

adjective

literary shining, brilliant, or radiant

Derived Formsrefulgence or rare refulgency, nounrefulgently, adverb

Word Origin for refulgent

C16: from Latin refulgēre to shine brightly, from re- + fulgēre to shine

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 refulgent

adj.

c.1500, from Middle French refulgent or directly from Latin refulgentem (nominative refulgens), present participle of refulgere "flash back, shine brilliantly," from re- "back" (see re-) + fulgere "to shine" (see bleach (v.)).