Meaning & use
lambent
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableliterary
Giving off a soft, gently moving light, as flames or candles do.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a lambent glow.
Patterns
- lambent with something
- a lambent glow
The lambent glow of the fireplace filled the room.
Lambent candlelight played across the old walls.
Moonlight lay lambent on the quiet lake.
adjectivecomparablefigurativeliterary
Showing a bright but light and effortless wit or style.
Grammar: Figurative; applied to writing, speech or humour.
Patterns
- lambent wit
- lambent prose
The critic praised the lambent wit of her essays.
His lambent prose made the dull subject glow.
The comedian's lambent humour never turned cruel.
Word forms
| comparative | more lambent |
|---|---|
| superlative | most lambent |
Common combinations
- lambent flame
- A lambent flame flickered in the lantern.
- lambent light
- Lambent light spilled from the window.
- lambent wit
- Her lambent wit lit up the dinner.
- lambent eyes
- Lambent eyes watched from the dark.
- lambent glow
- The lamp cast a lambent glow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- glowing
- Glowing is everyday English and can be steady or bright, while lambent suggests a soft flicker.
- flickering
- Flickering stresses unsteady movement of light, but lambent adds gentleness and beauty.
- radiant
- Radiant means shining brightly and strongly, which is more intense than lambent.
- luminous
- Luminous means giving off or reflecting light, but not necessarily moving or flickering.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lambent or lambent? lambent or luminous?
lambent vs lambent
Lambent has nothing to do with lambs; the word comes from Latin for licking, as flames seem to lick.
lambent vs luminous
Luminous simply means shining, while lambent includes soft movement.
Practice
Which phrase best fits lambent?
Choose one answer.
Lambent describes gently flickering light, so a flame fits; a shout, stone and argument give off no light.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lambent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.