Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

lambent

adjective lam·bent \ˈlam-bənt\

: shining or glowing softly

: having a light, appealing quality

Full Definition of LAMBENT

1
:  playing lightly on or over a surface :  flickering
2
:  softly bright or radiant
3
:  marked by lightness or brilliance especially of expression
— lam·bent·ly adverb
See lambent defined for English-language learners
See lambent defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of LAMBENT

Latin lambent-, lambens, present participle of lambere to lick — more at lap
First Known Use: 1647

Related to LAMBENT

Synonyms
beaming, bedazzling, brilliant, candescent, clear, dazzling, effulgent, fulgent, glowing, incandescent, bright, lucent, lucid, luminous, lustrous, radiant, refulgent, sheeny, shining, shiny, splendid
Antonyms
dim, dull, lackluster, unbright, unbrilliant

Learn More About LAMBENT

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: lambertPrevious Word in the Dictionary: lambencyAll Words Near: lambent
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries