Meanings
comparative more incandescent · superlative most incandescent
- Emitting light as a result of being heated.
We will all go together when we go / All suffused with an incandescent glow
1959, Tom Lehrer, “We Will All Go Together When We Go”1 more example
Rather than burning out as incandescent bulbs do, L.E.D.’s light output dims over tens of thousands of hours. L.E.D.’s are also more resistant to vibration than incandescents or screw-in fluorescent bulbs, and do not flicker or hum.
2007 March 1, Matthew L. Wald, “Room to Improve”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 03 Jun 2017 - Shining very brightly.
Those multitoned buttes and mesas [of the Grand Canyon], and that incandescent sequence of colorful bands that make one of the natural wonders of the world so grand, can also be found over 100 million miles away [on Mars].
2013 November 27, John Grotzinger, “The world of Mars [print version: International Herald Tribune Magazine, 2013, p. 36]”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 02 Nov 2017 - figurativelyShowing intense emotion, as of a performance, etc.
The incandescent performance enraptured the audience.
plural incandescents
- An incandescent lamp or bulb.
Compact fluorescents are typically rated at 7,500 to 10,000 hours, and incandescents at about 1,500 hours.
2007 March 1, Matthew L. Wald, “Room to Improve”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 03 Jun 2017
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecharacterized by ardent emotion or intensity or brilliance
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinincandescens
- Frenchincandescent
- Englishincandescent
Borrowed from French incandescent, from Latin incandescens, from incandesco (“be heated, glow”), from in- (intensifying prefix) + candesco (“become white”), from candidus (“white”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan incandescent
- incandescentemitting light as result of heating
Czech žhnoucí, žhavící
- žhnoucíemitting light as result of heating
- žhavícíemitting light as result of heating
- zářivýshining brightly
Dutch lichtgevend, witgloeiend
- lichtgevendemitting light as result of heating
- witgloeiendshining brightly
- stralendshowing intense emotion
- eclatantshowing intense emotion
Esperanto inkandeska
- inkandeskaemitting light as result of heating
Finnish hehku-, hehkuva
- hehku-emitting light as result of heating
- hehkuvaemitting light as result of heating
- loistavashining brightly
- hehkuvashining brightly
- hehkuvashowing intense emotion
French incandescent, éblouissant
- incandescentemitting light as result of heating
- éblouissantshining brightly
- irradiantshining brightly
- resplendissantshowing intense emotion
- éclatantshowing intense emotion
- rayonnantshowing intense emotion
- irradiantshowing intense emotion
German Glüh-, glühend
- Glüh-emitting light as result of heating
- glühendemitting light as result of heating
- weißglühendshining brightly
Greek πυρακτωμένος
- πυρακτωμένος (pyraktoménos)emitting light as result of heating
Italian incandescente, abbagliante
- incandescenteemitting light as result of heating
- abbaglianteshining brightly
- risplendenteshowing intense emotion
Japanese 白熱
- 白熱emitting light as result of heating
Korean 백열적인, 백열하는
- 백열적인 (baegyeoljeogin)emitting light as result of heating
- 백열하는 (baegyeolhaneun)emitting light as result of heating
- 백열적인 (baegyeoljeogin)shining brightly
- 백열하는 (baegyeolhaneun)shining brightly
- 백열적인 (baegyeoljeogin)showing intense emotion
Portuguese incandescente, incandescente
- incandescenteemitting light as result of heating
- incandescenteshowing intense emotion
Russian накалённый добела, светя́щийся
- накалённый добела (nakaljónnyj dobela)emitting light as result of heating
- светя́щийся (svetjáščijsja)shining brightly
- сия́ющий (sijájuščij)shining brightly
- пы́лкий (pýlkij)showing intense emotion
- горя́чий (gorjáčij)showing intense emotion
Slovak žiarivá, žiarivý
- žiariváemitting light as result of heating
- žiarivýemitting light as result of heating
- žiarivéemitting light as result of heating
Spanish incandescente, candente
- incandescenteemitting light as result of heating
- candenteemitting light as result of heating
- relucienteshining brightly
- irradianteshining brightly
- deslumbranteshining brightly
- resplandescienteshowing intense emotion
- rebosanteshowing intense emotion
Swedish bländande
- bländandeshining brightly
Tagalog nagbabaga
- nagbabagaemitting light as result of heating
Turkish akkor
- akkoremitting light as result of heating
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with incandescent
Cite this entry
incandescent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incandescent
“incandescent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incandescent. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “incandescent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incandescent.
Source: incandescent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.