adjective

• 1Full of or shedding light; bright or shining, especially in the dark.

  ‘the luminous dial on his watch’

  More example sentences

  • ‘a luminous glow’
  • ‘her eyes were luminous with joy’
  • ‘The luminous sun shone brightly over a small cottage in the middle of a long forest as it was setting down.’
  • ‘A cheap, luminous dial or illuminated watch with large numbers is quite handy.’
  • ‘The building was dark, the pews a deep red, and the stained glass windows luminous as the sun shined through them.’
  • ‘The dimly-lit interior is done up with turntables and the odd futuristic light sculpture, while the bar has a luminous glow that offsets the dim and sexy darkness to the rest of the space.’
  • ‘Regulars are drawn to the minimalist style and trendy DJ music and we particularly liked the groovy light bulbs that give the bar counter a glorious luminous glow.’
  • ‘In its interaction with light, it heats up in a luminous glow, giving it life and vibrant personality.’
  • ‘At the end one sees brilliant light or a luminous figure.’
  • ‘Its luminous, yet soothing lights shined in the dark murky skies like a beacon of heaven.’
  • ‘In the center of the field there glowed a luminous fairy circle, where a ring of small greenish gnomelike creatures danced and sang squeakily.’
  • ‘Overhead, the eternal sky glowed with its luminous clouds.’
  • ‘My computer screen leaves a luminous blue glow over the dark room.’
  • ‘Set in a tightly wound labyrinth, this is where the film's insights about human endeavour are finally brought to light under a luminous moon.’
  • ‘Her eyes seemed almost to be glowing red from the luminous flames.’
  • ‘The sea rolls before us, luminous waves break on the shore, and the moon shines down white from a dark sky.’
  • ‘The moon was full, and gave off a luminous blue glow.’
  • ‘In New York State luminous objects were seen hovering over 3 very significant locations.’
  • ‘Dozens of people have repeatedly reported the presence of these odd luminous objects.’
  • ‘She reached out with her hand to touch the white, luminous object.’
  • ‘But the image is luminous, like something radiant seen through the fog.’
  • ‘The surface material reflected the light and they became luminous.’

  Synonyms

  shining, bright, brilliant, radiant, dazzling, glowing, gleaming, coruscating, scintillating, lustrous, luminescent, phosphorescent, incandescent

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1(of a color) very bright; harsh to the eye.
     ‘he wore luminous green socks’
     More example sentences

     • ‘I remember loving the luminous rich colours, 1920's feel and the lovely slightly melancholic mood it has.’
     • ‘The backdrop of sky passes through the entire color spectrum in seamless gradation from violet and indigo above through queasy green and luminous gold to a deep, luscious red below.’
     • ‘It was very common for older people - and not only youngsters - to wear such extreme colours as luminous orange, perhaps to celebrate the freedom of life after retirement.’
     • ‘The monochrome pieces are composed of layers that reveal luminous colours, while his use of oranges and yellows create some of the most evocative landscapes of Ireland in recent years.’
     • ‘The distinctive ambulance is a luminous yellow colour and conforms to new EU regulations for ambulance services across Europe.’
     • ‘Her colours are luminous, with multiple layers of pigment, painted quickly but with great care and attention.’
     • ‘She suggested that site notices be issued in a luminous colour to make them more visible.’
     • ‘Asiatic lilies make up for having little or no scent with the beauty of their huge upturned flowers in luminous colours.’
     • ‘Today, that destination is a world peopled with clowns, gymnasts, panthers, snakes, men and women, young and old, in brilliant reds and greens and luminous yellows.’
     • ‘The luminous green wallpaper in the bathroom looked even brighter as the sun streamed into the room.’
     • ‘The red box it came in stands out on the shelf; the cover typography is distinctive and the spiral-bound book itself, with its luminous green pages, is a visual treat.’
     • ‘It's impossible to see in reproduction, but the sides of this canvas have been painted luminous orange on the left and bottom and luminous green on the right and top.’
     • ‘In her luminous green and red jacket, she was easy to spot.’
     • ‘I donned a luminous green observer's jacket and watched in awe as the victim was delicately secured and taken away.’
     • ‘They have wide faces, broad bills and luminous olive green and yellow plumage.’
     • ‘On my return to my room with a view after our gig, the Falls and spray were floodlit in luminous greens and pinks.’
     • ‘The sky was bright, luminous blue this evening, exactly the same colour as the Tibetan poppies.’
     • ‘In this exhibition, the dominant color was the luminous green of the leafy vines that spread over many of his canvases, sometimes obscuring nearly everything else.’
     • ‘The police in their luminous yellow jackets stood guard at the interface of two cultures.’
     • ‘The darkness surrendered to light, midnight blue giving way to resplendent golds and luminous pinks.’
     Synonyms

     vivid, striking, intense, brilliant, bright, strong, rich, deep, warm, full

     View synonyms
  2. 1.2Physics Relating to light as it is perceived by the eye, rather than in terms of its actual energy.
     ‘luminous intensity’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Recent advances in technology have made production of luminous radiation that is perceived by the human eye as white light and that can replace conventional light sources.’
     • ‘First, a technical point, Lux is a measure of illuminance, or luminous fLux per unit area, and so the corresponding quantity would be irradiance, or Watts per square meter.’
     • ‘That leaves 2.9% who actually know what luminous intensity means.’
     • ‘Geminga might be one of the best understood isolated neutron stars that we have found, but it has the same luminous flux as a candle on the Moon, which means that it will test these new telescopes to the limit.’
     • ‘Our theory might predict that the most massive galaxies are the most luminous.’