Did you know?
Shine a Light on the Origin of Lucid
Let’s shine a light on lucid, an adjective whose senses of “shining” and “filled with light” reflect its roots in the Latin verb lucēre, meaning “to shine.” Lucid is also used to describe things that are visibly clear—that is, translucent (translucent being another lucēre descendent), as in “we enjoyed snorkeling in the lucid waters of the Caribbean.” Lucid is, however, most commonly applied in its figurative meanings where it can describe someone whose mind is clear, or something communicated with a clear meaning, as in “the author captured readers’ attention with her lucid prose,” and “the professor provided a lucid explanation of the topic.” Clearly, lucid has proven a useful and versatile word.
Examples of lucid in a Sentence
Beverly Gage, New York Times Book Review, 13 Dec 2009
His lucid history of this grim subject is scrupulously accurate, so far as I am able to judge …
—Richard A. Posner, New Republic, 8 Apr 2002
"You would like me to read to you?" "You would oblige me greatly by doing so, Dorothea," said Mr. Casaubon, with a shade more meekness than usual in his polite manner. "I am wakeful: my mind is remarkably lucid."
—George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1872
The atmosphere, seen through a short space of half or three-quarters of a mile, was perfectly lucid, but at a greater distance all colours were blended into a most beautiful haze …
—Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle, 1839
He is able to recognize his wife in his lucid moments.
those lucid bands that spread across the arctic sky and are known as the northern lights
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Han, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, has written about the Jeju uprising before in the brutal and lucid 2014 novel Human Acts.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 8 July 2025
In sharp, lucid prose, Groff explores mystical elements and existential threats, as well as roiling internal conflict.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
Other characters later filled out Mafalda’s circle, including a little brother, Guille, and a short but mighty friend called Libertad, each new voice deepening Quino’s lucid portrait of the community.
—Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lucid
Cite this Entry
“Lucid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lucid. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
lucid
adjective
Share