as in glow
the steady giving off of the form of radiation that makes vision possible
candles made from whale oil were once highly prized because they burned with an incandescence superior to that of other candles
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incandescence
With a name chosen to suggest incandescence, Candente’s grills sear fajitas made from prime skirt steak and ribeye infused with the unmistakable nuances infused by the distinctively strong, smoky, earthy flavors of mesquite smoke.
—
Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, the oscillating levels of incandescence brought to mind historical artworks not unlike the ones Pashgian encountered while studying art history at Columbia, Boston College, and Harvard before returning home in the mid-‘60s to focus on making work of her own.
—Tara Anne Dalbow, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2024
The boy debates the merit of each name: on the one hand, chrysalides are green and hard and prone to explode in riots of incandescence; on the other, parrots are green, loud, and obnoxious.
—Beth Bachmann, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
This profile from Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill is a bid to reclaim the valuable heat of Pallenberg’s incandescence, while never shielding viewers from her life’s lasting burn marks.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for incandescence
Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, the oscillating levels of incandescence brought to mind historical artworks not unlike the ones Pashgian encountered while studying art history at Columbia, Boston College, and Harvard before returning home in the mid-‘60s to focus on making work of her own.
—Tara Anne Dalbow, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2024
The boy debates the merit of each name: on the one hand, chrysalides are green and hard and prone to explode in riots of incandescence; on the other, parrots are green, loud, and obnoxious.
—Beth Bachmann, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
This profile from Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill is a bid to reclaim the valuable heat of Pallenberg’s incandescence, while never shielding viewers from her life’s lasting burn marks.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for incandescence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incandescence
Noun
-
The ash of the cigarette glows in the darkness of the truck.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Carrots' pigments can help give you a healthy glow and protect against harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.—
Barbie Cervoni,
Verywell Health,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Caesar and Coca were soon joined on the show by the diminutive Howard Morris, whom Caesar could hoist from the ground and glare at face to face, and by Carl Reiner, tall like Caesar but as happy as Sid was miserable—the ideal second banana.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Despite the glare, the family had smiles on their faces, with Diana lovingly holding Harry's hand.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In fact, this team found that even after the light from Type Ia supernovas was standardized, Type Ia supernovas from populations of younger stars were fainter than those belonging to older stellar populations.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Never use your high-beam lights.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Today, while the lobby of the old movie palace gleams in the afternoon sun, no light gets in through the roof.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Even when the jewelry was supplied by the studio, its gleam had to match the personality of the characters portrayed.—
Lynn Yaeger,
Vogue,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Using laser light of different colors, the Rice team studied how a two-layer Janus TMD—molybdenum sulfur selenide stacked on molybdenum disulfide—responded to illumination through a process called second harmonic generation (SHG).—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Throughout the entire film, the light in the characters’ eyes, too… the Infinity Castle movie is a work of art that makes abundant use of torchlights and illumination.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incandescence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incandescence. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share