Beauty & Sublime Vocabulary

of outstanding spiritual or artistic worth; awe-inspiring

“The sublime beauty of the Grand Canyon defies description.”

Origin: Latin sublimis `uplifted, high, lofty`

extremely delicate and light; heavenly

“The dancer moved with ethereal grace.”

Origin: Latin aether from Greek aithēr `upper air, heaven`

extremely beautiful and delicate

“The exquisite craftsmanship of the jewelry amazed collectors.”

Origin: Latin exquisitus `carefully sought out`, from exquirere `search out`

impressive in appearance; dazzling

“The palace was resplendent with gold and marble.”

Origin: Latin resplendere `shine brightly`, from re- `again` + splendere `to shine`

surpassing the ordinary; exceptional

“The performance reached transcendent heights.”

Origin: Latin transcendere `climb over`, from trans- `across` + scandere `to climb`

bright or shining; full of light

“Her luminous prose illuminated difficult subjects.”

Origin: Latin luminosus, from lumen `light`

sending out light; shining; emanating joy

“The radiant colors of the sunset filled the sky.”

Origin: Latin radiare `emit rays`, from radius `ray, spoke`

emitting light as a result of being heated; passionate

“Her incandescent performance captivated audiences.”

Origin: Latin incandescere `glow`, from in- `in` + candescere `become white`

too great or extreme to be expressed in words

“The ineffable beauty of the moment brought tears to her eyes.”

Origin: Latin ineffabilis `unutterable`, from in- `not` + effabilis `able to be expressed`

blissfully happy; imparting holy bliss

“A beatific smile spread across her face.”

Origin: Latin beatificus `making blessed`, from beatus `blessed` + facere `to make`