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

While walking through the debris fields in his old neighborhood, Aparicio was drawn to pieces of glass that had morphed into an iridescent color and slumped over from the heat of the fire. —Sarah Quiñones Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025

And why Passport Properties isn’t just another real estate reality series full of big commissions, enormous egos and iridescent supercars. —Kitty Finstad, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

There’s also big trends like milky tones and magnetic cat eye finishes, iridescent textures, and smokey tips—all to play for on your fingers! —Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2025

Piaget recently reimagined its iconic Andy Warhol watch in four striking variations, each featuring a different ornamental stone: blue opal veined with iridescent green, warm brown tiger’s eye, vivid green meteorite, and silvery meteorite. —Milena Lazazzera, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 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