Skip to main content
opaline

opaline

8.8
Having a milky rainbow shine that changes with light
  • adjective
  • /ˈoʊpəˌlaɪn/
translation icon : opalino
  • She wore an opaline necklace that caught everyone's attention.

Examples

  • The opaline surfaces of the soap bubbles shimmered with a beautiful array of colors.

  • Her opaline necklace sparkled in the sunlight, reflecting hues of blue and green.

  • She admired the opaline sheen of the morning clouds, which reminded her of delicate seashells.

  • The artist used an opaline glaze to give the pottery a magical, iridescent finish.

  • The vase's opaline surface shimmered with subtle hues of pink and green under the light.

  • The opaline glass vase sparkled in the sunlight.

  • The artist chose an opaline glaze for the pottery to give it a unique, colorful finish.

Synonyms

iridescent
vsopaline
12 7.6

Bright colors that seem to change when seen from different angles

adds a milky, softer rainbow play rather than sharp angle change
prismatic
vsopaline
2 6.7

Having the shape of a prism or showing bright rainbow colours

focuses on milky lustre rather than prism shape or sharp colors
opalescent
vsopaline
1 8.2

Soft, shiny colors on a surface that look like a small rainbow

is the same meaning but uses a different adjective form
opalized
vsopaline
  • US
1 8.2

A thing with a shiny, rainbow-like surface like an opal

describes only the visual effect rather than material change
pearlescent
vsopaline
1 7.9

A shiny surface like a pearl that shows rainbow colors when you move it

is milky and less pearly in overall tone
nacreous
vsopaline
1 9.7

A shiny, pearly surface that shows soft rainbow colors

is milky and more opal-like rather than strictly pearly
irised
vsopaline
9.4

A surface with changing bright colors like a rainbow when light hits it

is milky and subtler in shine rather than simple shimmer

How Iridescent

iridescent
12 7.6
opaline
8.8
lustrous
9 5.3

Surface Forms

opaline positive

Morphology

opaline = opal (transparent) = opal + ine

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'opal' with the productive adjectival suffix '-ine', meaning 'like or pertaining to opal'.

Etymology

Opaline comes from the gem opal and the ending -ine, which means 'like' or 'of'. An opal is a stone known for a milky, rainbow shine, so opaline describes something that has that pearly, rainbow shimmer.