as in iridescent
having a rainbowlike play of colors
once given away as a cheap prize at carnivals, this opalescent glass is now highly prized by collectors
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Recent Examples of opalescent
Mike Navarro, an oceanographer at the University of Alaska Southeast, studied opalescent squids during his PhD at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
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Jules Jacobs, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2025
The majestic stillness of the full beaver moon, hovering pink and opalescent in the horizon.
—Jennifer Hope Choi, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025
The Ellipse required 90 cm of gold wire shaped by hand and 20 shades of opaque and opalescent enamel, while the table clock used over 16 m of gold wire in three different widths and 45 shades of mainly translucent enamel mixed with some semi-translucent or opaque versions of the material.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 24 Mar. 2025
Nor could anyone ever be a better pal to Leslie than Ann, opalescent tree shark.
—Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for opalescent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opalescent
Adjective
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The expedition also revealed a new species of armoured and iridescent scale worms, called Eulagisca sp.—
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Gomez's mani is soft, elegant, and very late '90s-coded with its iridescent shine.—
Adjective
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Quahogs produce non-nacreous, porcelainlike pearls, according to the Gemological Institute of America.—
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Markov processes include an element of randomness—in this case, the thickness of the outermost nacreous layer—but one that can be influenced by the system’s history.—
Adjective
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Eating a variety of colorful fruits provides essential vitamins that help immune cells develop, communicate, and respond effectively.—
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When the colorful bracts on poinsettia plants fade, prune them away by cutting the bare stems at a leaf node.—
Adjective
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Light pink pearlescent French tips are perfectly accompanied by small pearl stones.—
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Chanel nail artist Betina R. Goldstein uses a pearlescent powder to give nude nails a shimmery iridescent shine before placing real freshwater pearls all over.—
Cite this Entry
“Opalescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opalescent. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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