English Reference
Adjective

luminous

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ˈɫumənəs/ UK /lˈuːmɪnəs/ lu·mi·nous

adj.shining in the dark or giving off a soft, bright light. You use this to describe things that glow or look very clear and glowing.

adj.emitting or reflecting light; glowing or shining. Often used to describe objects that are visible in the dark or have a radiant, clear quality.


SIMPLE

The watch has luminous hands so you can see the time at night.

CONTEXTUAL

The deep-sea fish used luminous organs to attract prey in the pitch-black water.

COMPLEX

The artist was famous for her luminous landscapes, which seemed to capture the exact moment the sun broke through the morning mist.

Usage

Often used both literally for light-emitting objects and figuratively to describe skin, eyes, or prose.

The difficulty is that large, luminous stars dominate the light, while smaller stars are far dimmer and much harder to identify.

ScienceDaily· 22 Aug 2026

Borrowed from Middle French lumineus, from Latin lūminōsus.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin lūminōsus
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated