Meaning & use
looking radiant
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
having a bright, healthy, and happy appearance that seems to shine
Grammar: Comes after linking verbs like be, seem, or look; it describes the subject, not an action.
Patterns
- be looking radiant
- seem looking radiant
- look looking radiant
After a good night's sleep, she was looking radiant at breakfast.
He came back from vacation looking radiant and full of energy.
You're looking radiant today—did something wonderful happen?
phrasefixed phrase
appearing extremely happy and excited, as if glowing with joy
Grammar: Used to describe someone's emotional state shown in their face or manner.
Patterns
- be looking radiant with joy
- look radiant with happiness
The bride was looking radiant as she walked down the aisle.
After winning the award, he was looking radiant with pride.
She was looking radiant with happiness when she told us the news.
Common combinations
- looking absolutely radiant
- She was looking absolutely radiant in that yellow dress.
- looking radiant with health
- After a month of hiking, they were looking radiant with health.
- looking radiant as ever
- At the reunion, she was looking radiant as ever.
- looking radiant in something
- He was looking radiant in his new suit.
- looking radiant on a special occasion
- The whole family was looking radiant on the wedding day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- glowing
- Similar but often suggests a warm, soft light, especially from health or pregnancy; 'radiant' is stronger and more about a bright, joyful shine.
- beaming
- Focuses on a wide, happy smile; 'looking radiant' describes the whole person's bright appearance, not just the smile.
- luminous
- More literary and often used for objects that give off light; 'looking radiant' is mostly for people.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: looking radiant or radiant?
looking radiant vs radiant
'Radiant' alone can describe light or heat (e.g., 'radiant heat'), while 'looking radiant' almost always describes a person's appearance.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'looking radiant' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Looking radiant' describes a person's bright, healthy appearance, so it fits 'She was looking radiant after her yoga class.' The other options either use it for an object (the car) or with an infinitive/for-phrase that doesn't match the phrase's meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “looking radiant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.