Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a play of lustrous rainbow colors; iridescent: Describes something that displays a shimmering, changing array of colors like those seen on a soap bubble, an oil slick, or mother-of-pearl.
   • Consisting of or resembling mother-of-pearl: Describes something that has the milky-white, smooth, and iridescent appearance or composition of the inner layer of a mollusk shell.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The nacreous clouds at sunset were breathtaking. (The iridescent clouds at sunset were breathtaking.)
  • The inside of the shell had a beautiful nacreous lining. (The inside of the shell had a beautiful mother-of-pearl lining.)
  • The vase had a nacreous glaze that shimmered in the light. (The vase had an iridescent glaze that shimmered in the light.)

Advanced Usage

• Scientific/Meteorological Context: "Nacreous clouds" (also called polar stratospheric clouds) are a specific type of cloud that form in the winter polar stratosphere and exhibit a pearlescent, iridescent appearance.
  • Scientists study nacreous clouds to understand ozone depletion.
• Descriptive Language: Used in literary or artistic descriptions to evoke a specific, opalescent quality.
  • The artist captured the nacreous sheen of the pearl perfectly.

Variants and Related Words

• Nacre (n): The substance itself; mother-of-pearl.
  • The box was inlaid with nacre.
• Nacred (adj): An alternative, less common form meaning "covered with or resembling nacre."
• Pearlescent (adj): Very similar in meaning, describing a soft, milky iridescence.
  • The car's paint had a pearlescent finish.

Synonyms

• Iridescent: Showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles.
• Opalescent: Showing a soft, milky iridescence like that of an opal.
• Mother-of-pearl (when used as an adjective): Made of or resembling nacre.

Antonyms

• Matte: Having a dull, non-reflective surface without shine or luster.
• Opaque: Not able to be seen through; not transparent or translucent.

Adjective

1. having a play of lustrous rainbow colors
   • an iridescent oil slick
   • nacreous (or pearlescent) clouds looking like mother-of-pearl
   • a milky opalescent (or opaline) luster
2. consisting of or resembling mother-of-pearl