1
as in glare
brightness created by light reflected from a surface
the emerald had a pure, icy green luminance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brightness
the quality or state of having or giving off light
the landscapes of the French painter Claude Lorraine have a unique luminance that no other artist has quite captured
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of luminance
The temperature of intermediate-mass quark-gluon plasma in the early universe was estimated to have been 3.25 trillion degrees Kelvin; a flaring black hole was observed to have a peak luminance equivalent to 10 trillion suns; and Earth’s magnetosphere is negative on the dawn side.
—
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
This perhaps had something to do with the curious luminance of the boy’s face, as in paintings of saints, as though the glow were the emanation of grace.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
This process of measuring maximum and minimum luminance levels and color capabilities of each TV and then mapping signals to each TV model’s capabilities continues with Dolby Vision 2.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mobile photography shone bright for aurorae, and for capturing luminance from solar winds.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for luminance
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
This perhaps had something to do with the curious luminance of the boy’s face, as in paintings of saints, as though the glow were the emanation of grace.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
This process of measuring maximum and minimum luminance levels and color capabilities of each TV and then mapping signals to each TV model’s capabilities continues with Dolby Vision 2.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mobile photography shone bright for aurorae, and for capturing luminance from solar winds.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for luminance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminance
Noun
-
The stars burn brightly here, shielded from light pollution and city glare, and the rock formations are eerily beautiful in silhouette.—
Tamara Gane,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
-
No glare or sunlight coming through onto the pitch as a result.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Adjusting the phase of light can unintentionally change its brightness, potentially affecting security.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
-
Add the lime juice just before serving to preserve brightness and prevent bitterness.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Place an orb light on the bottom shelf to lend your bedroom a cozy glow.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
12 June 2026
-
The milky texture glides effortlessly over the skin, leaving a smooth finish and a natural, healthy glow.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The result is an incredible repository of vexations, bafflements, witticisms, and brilliancies.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
So, astronomers have come up with a compromise regarding the geometry of the sun's illumination angle on Venus' disk versus its distance from Earth to determine the time of Venus' greatest brilliancy.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Then buff the steel with a dry cloth, wiping in the same direction as the metal's grain to bring back that gleam.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
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After a while, though, all the professions of sincerity and thanks, the constant invocations of the one true POTUS, and the worshipful exhibits upstairs give the whole place a cultish, nostalgic gleam.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
Noun
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His unselfishness and understanding of how to fit his skill set around Nikola Jokic’s brilliance remain unmatched.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
-
Sport, in a world of artificial intelligence and synthetics, is also very human, in all its brilliance and fallibility.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Our goal is to elicit that glint of recognition in another human being because something that felt good and true to us feels good and true to them at the same time.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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Short-and-sweet patent pieces from Christian Siriano and Ferrari had a distinctly slick shine, while at Kate Barton, satin organza gave her flirty designs a glassy glint.—
InStyle,
InStyle,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Here, Elliott Gould brings a deft touch to his hang-dog detective Philip Marlowe, moving with a lightness that's hard to pin down but is undeniably comic.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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There is a remarkable lightness to Tuchel, a candour and directness.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Luminance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminance. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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