translucent
Americanadjective
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Allowing radiation (most commonly light) to pass through, but causing diffusion. Frosted glass, for example, is translucent to visible light.
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Compare transparent
Related Words
See transparent.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of translucent
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin trānslūcent- (stem of trānslūcēns ), present participle of trānslūcēre “to shine through”; see trans-, lucent
Explanation
A translucent material lets light pass through, but objects on the other side can't be seen clearly. Think Shrinky Dinks or stained glass. In contrast, a transparent material allows you to clearly see the objects on the other side. Frosted glass is translucent, and regular glass is transparent. But opaque glass doesn't let any light through at all, and so you can't see through it. The adjective translucent is from the Latin translucens, from translucere "to shine through."
Vocabulary lists containing translucent
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1
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Let There Be Light: Lum and Luc
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their wings deserve a close inspection, as the translucent curved fixtures are inspired by stained glass windows.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
"Glass eels are mesmerising, almost translucent - an adaptation to oceanic migration."
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Bathroom doors that aren’t translucent so the person in there doesn’t wake up the other person sleeping in the room.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Under strong light, however, they become translucent with a grayish green hue.
From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026
I opened the drawer labeled gardening: misc. and rummaged until I found a translucent blue ziplock bag like the one she’d pulled the seed from.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
