refulgence
/ɹɪˈfʌl.d͡ʒənts/
refulgence means the quality of being refulgent; refulgency. It carries an Arena rating of 1736, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, refulgence ranks #142 of 13,274 for Most Sublime Words, #1,965 of 13,274 for Most Malleable Words, #2,132 of 13,274 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,322 of 13,274 for Most Ponderous Words.
refulgence is pronounced /ɹɪˈfʌl.d͡ʒənts/.
Why “refulgence” is a great word
A brilliant and dazzling brightness, particularly a reflected splendor. From Latin refulgentia ("reflected luster, splendor"), from refulgēre ("to shine brightly"), from re- (intensive) + fulgēre ("to shine, glitter"). First attested in English in the 1630s. Unlike “radiance,” which suggests a warm, emitted glow, or “luminosity,” which denotes a measurable quantity of light, refulgence is the subjective, arresting quality of intense and often reflected splendor. It is the blinding glare of sun on a polished shield, the cold, perfect flash of a diamond in lamplight, and the startling sheet of light from a distant window that makes you wince—a brilliance so fierce it feels less like illumination than a momentary, victorious assault on the ordinary dimness of things.
Etymology
From Latin refulgentia. By surface analysis, re- + Latin fulg(ere) + -ence.
noun
- the quality of being refulgent; refulgency“In a parallel way the refulgence of Jesus's body at the Transfiguration was miraculous, transitory, like sun lighting up the air.”
Words closest in meaning
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