1
as in glare
brightness created by light reflected from a surface
the emerald had a pure, icy green luminance
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2
as in brightness
the quality or state of having or giving off light
the landscapes of the French painter Claude Lorraine have a unique luminance that no other artist has quite captured
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of luminance
The temperature of intermediate-mass quark-gluon plasma in the early universe was estimated to have been 3.25 trillion degrees Kelvin; a flaring black hole was observed to have a peak luminance equivalent to 10 trillion suns; and Earth’s magnetosphere is negative on the dawn side.
—
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
This perhaps had something to do with the curious luminance of the boy’s face, as in paintings of saints, as though the glow were the emanation of grace.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
This process of measuring maximum and minimum luminance levels and color capabilities of each TV and then mapping signals to each TV model’s capabilities continues with Dolby Vision 2.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mobile photography shone bright for aurorae, and for capturing luminance from solar winds.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for luminance
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
This perhaps had something to do with the curious luminance of the boy’s face, as in paintings of saints, as though the glow were the emanation of grace.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
This process of measuring maximum and minimum luminance levels and color capabilities of each TV and then mapping signals to each TV model’s capabilities continues with Dolby Vision 2.
—John Archer, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mobile photography shone bright for aurorae, and for capturing luminance from solar winds.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for luminance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luminance
Noun
-
The stars burn brightly here, shielded from light pollution and city glare, and the rock formations are eerily beautiful in silhouette.—
Tamara Gane,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
-
No glare or sunlight coming through onto the pitch as a result.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
There supernova remnants that researchers had expected to have faded x-ray emissions actually showed surprising variety in the brightness of their x-rays.—
Marta Hill,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
-
Buyers can choose between the LCD and OLED models, with the latter offering higher peak brightness in HDR mode (900 nits versus 600 nits), but both support 120Hz refresh rates.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The goal is to add an even layer of warmth (and sometimes a subtle shimmer) to your face, which adds a base glow to the rest of your makeup.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
11 Dec. 2025
-
That, too, is part of the glow-up.—
Uché Blackstock,
SELF,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Pinnacle of splendor On Sunday morning, April 27, Venus comes up in total darkness while shining at its greatest brilliancy (magnitude –4.7).—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Family circles will have wrapped themselves in the holy pleasures of the great occasion, and everywhere the grand old holiday will have been introduced with all the majesty and brilliancy which clings around the hallowed name of Christmas.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American-Statesman,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Then buff the steel with a dry cloth, wiping in the same direction as the metal's grain to bring back that gleam.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
-
Lured by gleams in mountain creeks, white settlers are pouring into the West and stirring Silas’s Native neighbors, the Nisenan, to action.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The club still possesses athleticism and individual brilliance, but lacks the ability to dictate the tempo of a game.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
8 June 2026
-
His unselfishness and understanding of how to fit his skill set around Nikola Jokic’s brilliance remain unmatched.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
On my way out of the state park on the Arizona Trail’s bike detour route, the relentlessly rocky Jacob’s Crosscut trail kept me in view of Lost Dutchman’s iconic cliff face that, in the golden glint of sunset from my camp spot that night off Silver King road, certainly held the sheen of promise.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
17 Nov. 2025
-
Emily says with that familiar glint of evil in her eye.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The seaweed choux buns are cloudlike in their lightness.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
16 June 2026
-
There is a remarkable lightness to Tuchel, a candour and directness.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Luminance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luminance. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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