splendor

noun

splen·​dor ˈsplen-dər 

1

a

: great brightness or luster : brilliancy

b

: magnificence, pomp

2

: something splendid

the splendors of the past

splendorous adjective

or less commonly splendrous

ˈsplen-d(ə-)rəs 

Synonyms

• majesty
• brilliance
• glory
• elegance
• magnificence
• grandeur
• nobility

Examples of splendor in a Sentence

The palace had lost much of its original splendor.

the splendor of the ancient monument awed us into silence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plotted like a series of ever-expanding bubbles, the movie is primarily driven by splendor more than anything else, and by the sheer joy of discovering what life has to offer for the first time. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025

But there are also flashes of visual splendor, like tiny shards of some kind of exotic broken vase — fragments of what could have been. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

The splendors of autumn are waiting to be discovered here—both the small details and the sweeping views. —Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025

Costumes by Lisy Christl and ace production design by Jonathan Houlding add to the visual splendor. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English splendure, from Anglo-French splendur, from Latin splendor, from splendēre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for splendor

• bender
• blender
• fender
• gender
• lender
• mender
• prendre
• render
• sender
• slender
• tender
• vender

Kids Definition

splendor

noun

splen·​dor ˈsplen-dər 

1

: great brightness : brilliance

the splendor of the sun

2

: pomp sense 1, glory

the splendor of ancient Rome

3

: something splendid

the splendors of the past

splendorous adjective

also splendrous

ˈsplen-d(ə-)rəs