effulgent
Blazing with light
Effulgent means shining brightly or radiantly, suggesting light that streams outward from a source.
The word appears almost exclusively in literary or poetic contexts, where it describes brilliant illumination: the effulgent glow of the setting sun, her effulgent smile.
It carries a more elevated, formal tone than simply saying bright or radiant, and often implies a quality of splendor or glory accompanying the light.
Emitting light or joy
- luminousEmitting or reflecting light
- resplendentImpressively beautiful, richly shining
- brilliantIntensely bright or gifted
- dazzlingOverwhelmingly bright or impressive
incandescent · beaming · glowing · blazing · sunlit · aglow · bright · illuminated
Gleaming with wavering light
- gleamingReflecting light brightly
- sparklingEmitting small bright flashes
- glisteningReflecting light softly
- glitteringShining with small flashes
twinkling · scintillating · flickering · glimmering · coruscating · lustrous · burnished · glistering
Full of life, intensity
- brilliantIntensely bright or gifted
- intenseExtreme in degree
- saturatedThoroughly soaked through
- boldCourageous and daring
rich · vivid · striking · eye-catching · electric · dynamic · flamboyant · dazzling
radiant
Emitting light or joy
- luminousEmitting or reflecting light
- resplendentImpressively beautiful, richly shining
- brilliantIntensely bright or gifted
dazzling · incandescent · beaming · glowing · blazing · sunlit · aglow · bright · illuminated · splendorous
shimmering
Gleaming with wavering light
- gleamingReflecting light brightly
- sparklingEmitting small bright flashes
- glisteningReflecting light softly
glittering · twinkling · scintillating · flickering · glimmering · coruscating · lustrous · burnished · glistering · opalescent
vibrant
Full of life, intensity
bold · rich · vivid · striking · eye-catching · electric · dynamic · flamboyant · dazzling · kaleidoscopic
magnificent
Exceptionally beautiful or impressive
- resplendentImpressively beautiful, richly shining
- sumptuousSplendidly rich and costly
- opulentOstentatiously wealthy
gorgeous · majestic · sublime · regal · palatial · lavish · ornate · grandiose · spectacular · exquisite
- Brilliantbrilliant, bright, radiant, dazzling, luminous
- fancy wordsgrandiloquent, magniloquent, sesquipedalian, pulchritudinous, tintinnabulation
- celestialsun, moon, stars, planet, planets
- golden shadesgold, amber, honey, gilded, aureate
effulgentdull
Lacking edge or interest
lackluster · dim · lustreless · lusterless · matte