ENGLISH
REFERENCE

neon

n. · adj.
US //ˈniɑn// UK //nˈiːɒn// neon
  1. 1 chemical element (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    a gas with no colour or smell that glows brightly when electricity passes through it.

    the chemical element with atomic number 10; a noble gas that is colourless and odorless but emits a distinctive reddish-orange glow in a vacuum discharge tube.

    Example

    Scientists use neon in certain types of high-voltage research.

    Example

    Neon is the second-lightest noble gas and remains chemically inactive under most standard laboratory conditions.

    Usage

    Uncountable when referring to the element itself.
    • ne
  2. 2 bright signs or lights (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    brightly coloured lights or signs used for shops and advertising.

    luminous glass tubing containing neon or other gases, used primarily for decorative lighting and commercial signage.

    Example

    The streets of Tokyo are famous for their bright neon and huge screens.

    Example

    The old motel was easy to find because its flickering pink neon was visible from the highway even in heavy rain.
  3. 3 extremely bright colours (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    very bright or fluorescent, like the colours of a glowing sign.

    having an extremely bright, saturated, or fluorescent appearance reminiscent of gas-discharge lamps.

    Example

    She wore a neon green jacket so her friends could find her in the crowd.

    Example

    The fashion designer's spring collection was noted for its bold use of neon pink and electric blue accents.
Origin

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek νέον (néon), neuter of νέος (néos, “new”), from earlier νέϝος (néwos), from Proto-Hellenic newos, from Proto-Indo-European néwos. By surface analysis, neo- + -on (suffix used in all noble gases).

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

Last updated June 20, 2026