iridescently
In shifting colors
In a manner showing shifting rainbow-like colors that change with the angle of view.
Iridescent surfaces—soap bubbles, oil slicks, beetle shells, certain fabrics—display this quality.
The adverb appears in descriptive writing: The hummingbird's throat flashed iridescently in the sunlight.
Refracted light arc
- spectralGhostlike or wavelength-related
- prismaticLight-dispersing, multicolored
- nacreousResembling pearl's iridescence
- mother-of-pearlIridescent inner shell coating
abalone · holographic · diffractive · refractive · chromatic · multicolored · polychromatic · kaleidoscopic
Gleaming with wavering light
- glimmeringFaintly and unsteadily luminous
- flickeringShining unsteadily, intermittently
- dancingRhythmic bodily motion
- ripplingFlowing in undulations
undulating · wavering · quivering · trembling · fluttering · oscillating · pulsing · playing
Giving off steady light
- radiantEmitting light or joy
- lustrousSoftly bright, reflective
- gleamingReflecting light brightly
- glisteningReflecting light softly
sparkling · scintillating · effulgent · resplendent · lambent · coruscating · brilliant · dazzling
rainbow
Refracted light arc
- spectralGhostlike or wavelength-related
- prismaticLight-dispersing, multicolored
- nacreousResembling pearl's iridescence
mother-of-pearl · abalone · holographic · diffractive · refractive · chromatic · multicolored · polychromatic · kaleidoscopic · chameleon
shimmering
Gleaming with wavering light
- glimmeringFaintly and unsteadily luminous
- flickeringShining unsteadily, intermittently
- dancingRhythmic bodily motion
rippling · undulating · wavering · quivering · trembling · fluttering · oscillating · pulsing · playing · shifting
glowing
Giving off steady light
glistening · sparkling · scintillating · effulgent · resplendent · lambent · coruscating · brilliant · dazzling · incandescent
otherworldly
Seemingly not earthly
- dreamlikeHazy and fantastical
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- mysticalOf hidden spiritual significance
enchanted · magical · fantastical · surreal · transcendent · celestial · gossamer · delicate · ephemeral · evanescent
sheen
Soft surface luster
patina · finish · coating · film · veneer · lacquer · enamel · glaze · buffed · sleek
iridescentlymonochromatically
In one color only
uniformly · solidly · monotonously · flatly · unchangingly
- iridescent blue
- iridescent wingsLight-refracting flight surfaces
- iridescent feathersColor-shifting bird covering
- iridescent cloudsLight-diffracting atmospheric moisture
- iridescent shellLustrous bivalve covering