iridescent
Say it: ih-rih-DESS-unt /ˌɪrɪˈdɛsənt/ · adjective
What “iridescent” means
Shimmering with colours that change when you change your angle.
More precisely: Showing shimmering colours that change as you look from different angles.
Example: “The puddle of oil in the car park was weirdly beautiful, iridescent in the sun.”
When to use it
For surfaces such as bubbles or feathers whose shimmering colours shift with the viewing angle.
Memory trick
The root iris means rainbow: picture rainbow colours sliding across a soap bubble.
Similar words
opalescent, shimmering, pearly
Where it comes from
From Latin iris, 'rainbow'.
Quick check
You turn a shell in your hand, and its surface shifts from pink to green. How does it look?
iridescent or transparent?
Show the answer
iridescent
Learn 5 new words a day in Kinquire. Each with a picture, how to say it, an example and a quick check, then spaced review so you actually keep them. Free to start.
Learn “iridescent”