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specularity

specularity

9.3
A bright spot on a surface made by reflected light
  • noun
  • /ˌspɛkjʊˈlærɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : especificidad
  • The photographer adjusted the lights to reduce the specularity on the model's face.

Examples

  • Artists often paint subtle specularity to make objects appear more realistic and three-dimensional.

  • A sudden specularity on the car's hood revealed the nearby streetlight's reflection.

  • The specularity of the lake made it shimmer in the sunlight.

  • Can you see the specularity on the car's hood?

  • The sudden specularity on the car's hood revealed the nearby streetlight's reflection.

  • The photographer adjusted the lights to reduce the specularity on the model's face.

  • Artists often paint subtle specularity to make objects appear more realistic and three-dimensional.

Synonyms

gleam
vsspecularity
34 2.9

A small, quick flash of light from a shiny surface

is a localized reflection spot not merely a brief faint flash
highlight
vsspecularity
32 3.4

A bright spot on a picture where light hits or reflects

is a small bright spot caused specifically by reflection on a shiny surface

How Bright

glare
37 3.3
highlight
32 3.4
specularity
  • Specialized
9.3
to sheen
1 4.0
to gleam
70 1.9
glint
20 2.9
glimmer
10 3.7

Surface Forms

specularity singular
specularities plural

Morphology

specularity = specular (transparent) = specular + ity

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'specular' using '-ity'; the meaning is directly the quality/state of being specular.

Etymology

Specularity comes from the Latin root spec meaning 'to look', the same root you see in inspect and spectator; imagine a tiny mirror on the skin or car that 'shows' the light. So a specularity is that bright, mirror-like highlight on a surface.