Incandescent
adjective /ˌɪnkənˈdɛs(ə)nt/ — Glowing with intense emotion, beauty, or inner light.
Definition
Emitting light as a result of being heated; more broadly, glowing brilliantly; full of strong feeling or extraordinary quality — so full of emotion or beauty that it seems to glow from within.
Beyond the definition
Incandescent is the word for the person or moment that seems to generate its own light — the performance that fills a room, the conversation that makes everything else seem dim by comparison, the face suffused with feeling. There is an intensity to incandescence that makes it temporary — no one can sustain that heat for long.
Origin & history
From Latin incandescens (growing hot, glowing), from incandescere (to glow), from in- + candescere (to grow white, glow). Related to candid and candidate — all from the Latin for white, shining.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Her performance was incandescent — every person in the room felt directly addressed.
He was incandescent with fury — the kind of anger that makes the air around someone electric.
The novel has a few pages so incandescent they make everything around them seem ordinary.
Synonyms
Antonyms
dim, dull, flat
Related words
Incandescent vs brilliant
Incandescent means glowing with heat or intense passion. Brilliant refers simply to high light intensity or high intelligence.
Compare this word
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Musician performing with passion
Close-up of a violinist's fingers performing with intense, blurred motion as they capture the peak of the music.
The musician's complete absorption and the intense, inner energy they project make them seem to glow with feeling. This captures the essence of being incandescent, where beauty and emotion reach such a level that the person appears filled with light.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration