lucidity

noun lu·cid·i·ty \ lü-ˈsi-də-tē \

Definition of lucidity

1 :clearness of thought or style

the lucidity of the explanation

2 :a presumed capacity to perceive the truth directly and instantaneously :clairvoyance

when the spirit is drawn to lucidity by the immediacy of death
—Graham Greene

Examples of lucidity in a Sentence

the lucidity of the recipe should ensure a minimum of confusion

Recent Examples of lucidity from the Web

As Newton lost her lucidity, Nottage cleaned out her house, in Crown Heights.

— michael schulman, The New Yorker, "The First Theatrical Landmark of the Trump Era," 27 Mar. 2017
Lucidity and opacity, ordinary delights and exotic peculiarities blend breezily in an intimate jest of vast wonder.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "In Another Country," 9 Jan. 2017
As the synopsis of the documentary reads: The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass criminalization and the sprawling American prison industry is laid out by DuVernay with bracing lucidity.

— matt miller, Esquire, "This Chilling New Netflix Documentary Will Connect America's Prison System to Slavery," 26 Sep. 2016
Mr. Hopkins is a whirlwind, slipping into and out of lucidity deliciously under Richard Eyre’s direction.

— neil genzlinger, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Dresser,’ Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins Give Riveting Performances," 29 May 2016
TM. Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental & Wilhelm Bros. & Co.: Red-Eye to Havre de Grace.

— saria canday, AJC.com, "Atlanta Tickets on sale this week: Train, Jimmy Buffett," 10 Mar. 2016
What Paul Kalanithi and Marion Coutts demonstrate with ringing lucidity is that while no science can mitigate the finality of loss, anyone who is fully alive to his or her death need not worry that its meaning will be lost.

— andrew solomon, New York Times, "‘The Good Death,’ ‘When Breath Becomes Air’ and More," 8 Feb. 2016
Chanel says in the first few minutes of the Scream Queens pilot, delivering every word with nauseating lucidity.

— logan scherer, The Atlantic, "The Problem With Ryan Murphy’s Wannabe Divas," 14 Oct. 2015
In a rare moment of lucidity, during the gap between drinking hefeweisse and cruising the streets of Berlin dressed as a leather cop, BoingBoing Gadgets’ John Brownlee translates this statement from weasel-speak: In short?

— charlie sorrel, WIRED, "Inspiron Mini Will Ship With Secret 3G Inside," 9 Sep. 2008

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lucidity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of lucidity

1810

lucidity Synonyms

Synonyms

clarity, explicitness, simplicity, lucidness, perspicuity, perspicuousness

Antonyms

obscureness, obscurity, unclarity

Related Words

incision, incisiveness; directness, forthrightness, openness, straightforwardness; readability, readableness; comprehensibility, intelligibility, legibility

Near Antonyms

ambiguity, ambiguousness, equivocalness, equivocation, inscrutability, inscrutableness, obliqueness, obliquity, opacity, opaqueness; impenetrability, incomprehensibility, incomprehensibleness, unintelligibility, unintelligibleness; circuitousness, deviousness, indirectness, indistinctness; dimness, disjointedness, incoherence; faintness, fuzziness, muddiness, nebulousness, vagueness

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

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lucidity

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