- radiating or reflecting light; shining; glowing: luminous colours
- (not in technical use) exhibiting luminescence: luminous paint
- full of light; well-lit
- (of a physical quantity in photometry) evaluated according to the visual sensation produced in an observer rather than by absolute energy measurements: luminous flux, luminous intensity
Compare radiant - easily understood; lucid; clear
- enlightening or wise
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
lu•mi•nous /ˈlumənəs/USA pronunciation
adj.
lu•mi•nous•ly, adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- radiating or reflecting light; shining;
bright:luminous eyes. - clear;
enlightening:a luminous explanation.
lu•mi•nous•ly, adv.
lu•mi•nous
(lo̅o̅′mə nəs),USA pronunciation adj.
lu′mi•nous•ly, adv.
lu′mi•nous•ness, n.
- radiating or reflecting light;
shining;
bright. - lighted up or illuminated;
well-lighted:the luminous ballroom. - brilliant intellectually;
enlightened or enlightening, as a writer or a writer's works:a luminous concept; luminous prose. - clear;
readily intelligible:a concise, luminous report.
- Latin lūminōsus. See lumen, -ous
- late Middle English 1400–50
lu′mi•nous•ness, n.
- 1. lucid, radiant, resplendent, brilliant. 3. bright, intelligent. 4. understandable, perspicuous, lucid.
- 1. 2. dark. 3. stupid. 4. obscure.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
luminous /ˈluːmɪnəs/ adj
'luminous' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
arc
- ball lightning
- brush discharge
- candela
- candlepower
- cannel coal
- coma
- comet
- corona
- flame
- flux
- glow discharge
- illuminance
- intensity
- lumen
- luminance
- luminosity
- luminous flux
- luminous intensity
- lux
- parhelic circle
- radiant
- radium
- Saint Elmo's fire
- supergiant
- tail
- V
- anode glow
- anthelion
- anticorona
- apparent candlepower
- asterism
- Aurora
- Baily's beads
- bright
- calcium sulfide
- candle
- cathode glow
- corona discharge
- emittance
- fire
- fireball
- fire beetle
- foot-lambert
- Geissler tube
- geographic range
- girasol
- Hefner candle
- illumination
- illustrious