Meaning & use
phosphorescent
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Meaning
adjectivecomparabletechnical
Glowing softly in the dark, especially after being exposed to light, without being hot.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: phosphorescent paint, the paint is phosphorescent.
Patterns
- phosphorescent glow
- phosphorescent with something
The children stuck phosphorescent stars on their ceiling.
The bay turned a ghostly blue because of phosphorescent plankton.
The watch hands were phosphorescent, so he could read the time at night.
Common combinations
- phosphorescent glow
- A phosphorescent glow filled the cave.
- phosphorescent paint
- The sign was coated in phosphorescent paint.
- phosphorescent sea
- They swam in the phosphorescent sea at night.
- phosphorescent material
- Phosphorescent material stores light then releases it slowly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- luminous
- Luminous is broader and can describe anything bright, while phosphorescent means a glow that lasts after the light source is removed.
- glowing
- Glowing is everyday and does not say how the light is produced, whereas phosphorescent is more scientific.
- fluorescent
- Fluorescent light stops almost as soon as the energy source does, but phosphorescent light lingers.
Opposites
Word family
- phosphorescence noun
- the glow itself
- phosphoresce verb
- to give off such a glow
- phosphor noun
- a substance that glows
Commonly confused: phosphorescent or fluorescent? phosphorescent or phosphorous?
phosphorescent vs fluorescent
Fluorescent things glow only while lit by a source such as ultraviolet light, whereas phosphorescent things keep glowing afterward.
phosphorescent vs phosphorous
Phosphorous is a rare adjective for compounds of phosphorus, not for glowing.
Practice
The toy stars kept glowing for an hour after the lights went out, because they were ___.
Choose one answer.
Phosphorescent materials store light and release it slowly, so the glow continues. Flammable might seem plausible, but it means able to burn, not glow.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “phosphorescent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.