resplendent
adjective
Outdoor World
Did you know?
Resplendent has a lot in common with splendid (meaning, among other things, "shining" or "brilliant"), splendent ("shining" or "glossy"), and splendor ("brightness" or "luster"). Each of these glowing terms gets its shine from the Latin verb splendēre ("to shine"). In the case of resplendent, the prefix re- added to splendēre, formed the Latin resplendēre, meaning "to shine back." Splendent, splendor, and resplendent were first used in English during the 15th century, but splendid didn't light up our language until over 175 years later; its earliest known use dates from the early 1600s.
Examples of resplendent in a Sentence
Liam Hess, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025
Inside, Yamamoto-san was resplendent in another seersucker suit, this one light blue, a dark-blue pocket square providing contrast.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
In the ruins of Rome’s opulent Domus Aurea palace, archaeologists have uncovered an array of ancient pigments used by artisans to paint the walls of the emperor Nero’s stately marble home with resplendent frescoes some 2,000 years ago.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Feb. 2025
Her resplendent fashion sense has become a hit at every awards show (even becoming a bit of a meme for her sky-high, stage-obscuring white head wrap at the 2023 Oscars).
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for resplendent 
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Cite this Entry
“Resplendent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resplendent. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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resplendent
adjective
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