resplendent
adj/ɹɪˈsplɛn.dənt/
Etymology From the obsolete sense of the English verb splendish (“to shine”), from Latin splendere (“to shine”), or from resplend + -ent, from Latin resplendere (“to shine back, glitter”).
1
Shining brilliantly; gleaming; radiant.
- The resplendent sun rose over the horizon.
- The resplendent sun / Shone forth in all his glory.1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:
2
Shiny and colorful, and thus pleasing to the eye; splendid in appearance.
- The peacock displayed its resplendent plumage.
- Soon after the arrival of Mrs. Campbell, dinner was announced by Abboye. He came into the drawing room resplendent in his gold-and-white turban. […] His cummerbund matched the turban in gold lines.1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:
1 more example
- Some birds are feathered tufts of color so resplendent that they stand out brilliantly from their surroundings.2024 October 31, Ari Daniel, “How parrot plumage gets its dazzling reds and yellows”, in NPR, archived from the original on 06 Apr 2025:
3
Figuratively Magnificent; glorious; splendid; marked by extraordinary excellence or beauty.
- The queen appeared in resplendent majesty.
- They celebrated their resplendent victory.
2 more examples
- His career was resplendent with achievements.
- The resplendent achievements of the English navy.1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England:
4
Mathematics, Sciences Exhibiting the property of resplendency in Peano arithmetic.
- Derived terms
- resplendence, resplendency, resplendently, resplendent quetzal, unresplendent
- Related terms
- refulgent, resplend, splendid, splendor, splendorous, resplendid