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Need a shiny word to bust out at your next disco party, planetarium visit, or fireworks gathering? How about effulgence? It’s not a shiny "new" word, having made its English language debut in the 17th century, but it does come from the Latin verb fulgēre, meaning "to shine." Effulgence isn’t used for bog-standard brightness, however; it’s reserved for shininess that dazzles, inspires, leaves you gobsmacked—in other words, "radiant splendor."
Synonyms
Examples of effulgence in a Sentence
the exceptional effulgence of the harvest moon is always a striking sight
Recent Examples on the Web
Maggie Rogers paired her of-the-moment shag with natural notes—bare skin, freckles, grass—as elsewhere, Elle Fanning enjoyed the lit effects of golden hour, which took her complexion and blanched blonde to new levels of effulgence.
—
Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 10 July 2022
Just ask Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex who took her lit-from-within skin to the next level yesterday with an ample swirl of roseate blush applied to transform her pregnancy glow into a full-on display of effulgence.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2018
One part shimmery smoky eye, one part unexpected pressing of pigment, Lopez's eyeshadow plotted with her luminous skin and swipe of pale pink lipgloss to exude effulgence.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2018
Absent from Van Noten’s three-decade career are stories of bankruptcy, strife, irresponsibility, overleverage, overexpansion, overspending or unhinged, dangerous effulgence.
—Hanya Yanagihara, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2017
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Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 10 July 2022
Just ask Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex who took her lit-from-within skin to the next level yesterday with an ample swirl of roseate blush applied to transform her pregnancy glow into a full-on display of effulgence.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2018
One part shimmery smoky eye, one part unexpected pressing of pigment, Lopez's eyeshadow plotted with her luminous skin and swipe of pale pink lipgloss to exude effulgence.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2018
Absent from Van Noten’s three-decade career are stories of bankruptcy, strife, irresponsibility, overleverage, overexpansion, overspending or unhinged, dangerous effulgence.
—Hanya Yanagihara, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Effulgence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effulgence. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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