iridescent

adjective

ir·​i·​des·​cent ˌir-ə-ˈde-sᵊnt 

: having or exhibiting iridescence

iridescently adverb

Did you know?

Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, took messages from Mount Olympus to earth, and from gods to mortals or other gods, using the rainbow as her stairway. Iridescence is thus the glowing, shifting, colorful quality of a rainbow, also seen in an opal, a light oil slick, a butterfly wing, or the mother-of-pearl that lines an oyster shell.

Synonyms

• nacreous
• opalescent
• pearlescent

Examples of iridescent in a Sentence

an iridescent soap bubble

Recent Examples on the Web

The look was complemented by Dua’s glam, which included sparkly, iridescent eyeshadow surrounded by tiny gems. —Robyn Merrett, StyleCaster, 7 Mar. 2025

So these iridescent nanocrystals can reflect any wavelength of light and color in their environment. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 3 Mar. 2025

Four of the dancers, representing wind, wear sheer, pleated capes with an iridescent sheen that attached to shoulder straps and arm bands. —Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025

McGrath captures color well, and so eyes shimmered with a pearly, iridescent lavender. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek īrid-, îris "rainbow, iridescent halo around the moon, a flame, etc." + -escent — more at iris entry 1

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for iridescent

• acquiescent
• adolescent
• arborescent
• coalescent
• convalescent
• deliquescent
• effervescent
• evanescent
• incandescent
• luminescent
• obsolescent
• opalescent

Kids Definition

iridescent

adjective

ir·​i·​des·​cent ˌir-ə-ˈdes-ᵊnt 

: having or showing iridescence

iridescently adverb

Medical Definition

iridescent

adjective

ir·​i·​des·​cent ˌir-ə-ˈdes-ᵊnt 

: having or exhibiting a display of colors producing rainbow effects

iridescence

-ᵊn(t)s 

noun