Meaning & use
translucent
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Letting some light pass through but blurring what is behind, so shapes are hard to make out.
Grammar: Can be used with more or very: a more translucent fabric.
Patterns
- translucent glass
- almost translucent
The bathroom window is translucent, so nobody can see in.
She wore a translucent scarf that glowed in the sun.
The jellyfish was pale and translucent.
adjectivecomparablefigurativeliterary
Having a delicate, glowing or lightly shining quality, often used of skin or color.
Grammar: Used figuratively for a soft, glowing look.
Patterns
- translucent skin
Her translucent skin showed every tiny vein.
The painting had a translucent sky of pale green.
He admired the translucent petals of the orchid.
Common combinations
- translucent glass
- Translucent glass lets in light but keeps out prying eyes.
- translucent plastic
- The lunch box is made of translucent plastic.
- translucent skin
- The baby bird's translucent skin showed its tiny bones.
- a translucent film
- A translucent film covered the surface of the pond.
- faintly translucent
- The paper was faintly translucent when held to the lamp.
Synonyms and how they differ
- semi-transparent
- Semi-transparent is a plainer, more technical choice, while translucent is the usual word for materials like frosted glass.
- diaphanous
- Diaphanous is poetic and usually describes very light fabric, whereas translucent is more neutral.
- sheer
- Sheer usually describes thin cloth you can see through, but translucent can describe anything blurry-clear.
- cloudy
- Cloudy suggests a haze or dirt in a liquid, while translucent describes a stable property of a material.
Opposites
Word family
- translucence noun
- the quality of letting some light through
- translucency noun
- another form of translucence
- translucently adverb
- in a way that lets some light through
- lucid adjective
- clear, from the same Latin root for light
Commonly confused: translucent or transparent?
translucent vs transparent
Transparent lets you see clearly through it, such as clean window glass, while translucent only lets light through and blurs the view.
Practice
The frosted shower door is ___: light comes through, but you cannot see details.
Choose one answer.
Translucent means light passes through but the view is blurred. Transparent would let you see clearly, and opaque would block light.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “translucent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.