luster
/ˈlʌstɚ/
luster noun: the ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc. Also the clipping of lusterware.
Noun (1)
luster (countable and uncountable, plural lusters)
- The ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.
- metallic luster
- pearly luster
- The way in which the surface of any particular type of mineral reflects light differently from other minerals, which is helpful in telling minerals apart.
- By the luster or glance of a mineral is meant the quantity and quality of light reflected by it, as determined by the character or minute structure of its surface. […] The two principal kinds of luster are the metallic and non-metallic. […] The adamantine luster is intermediate between the metallic...1895, William Otis Crosby, Tables for the Determination of Common Minerals Chiefly by Their Physical Properties: With Confirmatory Chemical Tests, page 11
- Shining light from within, luminosity, brightness, shine.
- the sun’s luster
- the luster of the minor stars
- Shining beauty, splendor, attractiveness or attraction.
- How does the Luſtre of our Father’s Actions,
Through the dark Cloud of Ills that cover him,
Break out, and burn with more triumphant Brightneſs!1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2 - After so many years in the same field, the job had lost its luster.
- How does the Luſtre of our Father’s Actions,
- Shining fame, renown, glory.
- After the scandal, the idol lost his luster and could only get work in Vegas.
- […] whose ancestors, says Clarendon, had been transported out of Normandy with the Conqueror, "and had continued," says Sir Henry Wotton, "about the space of four hundred years, rather without obscurity than with any great lustre […]".1895, The Gentleman's Magazine, volume 279, page 602
- Polish, social refinement.
- Sure, the posh git spoke with fine lustre. ’S all a load of bollocks, though, innit?
- Any shining body or thing.
- A piece of glass added to a light (especially a chandelier) to increase its luster.
- Each mortal has his pleasure: none deny
Scarsdale his bottle, Darty his ham-pie;
Ridotta sips and dances, till she see
The doubling lustres dance as fast as she;1735, Alexander Pope, The First Satire of the Second Book of Horace Imitated, 45-48
- Each mortal has his pleasure: none deny
- An ornamental light providing luster, especially a chandelier.
- The immense room was carpeted, the walls were covered with eighteenth-century panelling, and three electric lustres hung from the ceiling.1905, Thomas Mann, “The Blood of the Walsungs”, in H.T. Lowe-Porter, transl., Death in Venice & Seven Other Stories, New York: Vintage, published 1954, page 294
- A substance that imparts luster to a surface, such as polish, gloss, plumbago, glaze, etc.
- Gabriel coloured as if he felt he had made a mistake and, without looking at her, kicked off his goloshes and flicked actively with his muffler at his patent-leather shoes. […] When he had flicked lustre into his shoes he stood up and pulled his waistcoat down more tightly on his plump body.1904–1907 (date written), James Joyce, “The Dead”, in Dubliners, London: Grant Richards, published June 1914, →OCLC, pages 219–220
- Chinese themes are equally recognisable in the star-shaped and hexagonal tiles with either moulded relief or lustre-painted decoration, sometimes surrounded by an inscription border […]2009, Yuka Kadoi, Islamic Chinoiserie: The Art of Mongol Iran, Edinburgh University Press, page 52
- The layer of an object that imparts luster, chiefly with regard to ceramics.
- A kind of lustrous fabric with a wool weft and cotton, linen, or silk warp, chiefly used for women's dresses.
- Mrs. McLash was dressed for travelling. She wore a black lustre skirt that just exposed her broken button-boots […]1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter IX, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 143
- A glory, an act or thing that imparts fame or renown.
Verb
luster (third-person singular simple present lusters, present participle lustering, simple past and past participle lustered)
- To have luster, to gleam, to shine.
- What bloom, what brightness lusters o’er her cheeks!1729, Richard Savage, The Wanderer, Sect. iii, l. 326
- To gain luster, to become lustrous.
- To make illustrious or attractive, to distinguish.
- Our Puritans have from hence learned to colour and lustre their ugly Treasons... with the cloake of Religion.1644, John Maxwell, Sacro-Sancta Regum Majestas, page 17
- To coat with a lustrous material or glaze, to impart physical luster to an object.
- Peter and Mania found a pensione whose view was of chestnut woods and a horizon looped by peaks lustred with last winter’s snow, distant in time as well as space.1985, Nadine Gordimer, “Sins of the Third Age”, in Something Out There, Penguin, page 69
- To shed light on, to illustrate, to show.
- Synonym of purify, to ritually cleanse or renew.
- Synonyms:
- purify, to ritually cleanse or renew
- Synonym of look, to look over, to survey.
- Synonyms:
- look, to look over, to survey
Noun (2)
luster (plural lusters)
Noun (3)
luster (plural lusters)
- Synonym of den: a dwelling-place in a wilderness, especially for animals.
- ...But, turning to his luster, Calues and Dam,
He shewes abhorr'd death, in his angers flame...c. 1615, Homer, translated by George Chapman, Odysses, 2nd edition, page 159
- Synonyms:
- den
- ...But, turning to his luster, Calues and Dam,
Proper noun capitalized: Luster
Luster (plural Lusters)
- A surname from German.
Also used as
luster is also the clipping of lusterware.
luster is also the alternative form of lustrum.
luster meaning in Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian and Persian
luster in Hindi
- brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- वैभव vaibhav, तेज tej, प्रताप pratāp, भव्यता bhavyatā, सुषमा suṣmā
- a shine, polish or sparkle
- आभा ābhā, चमक camak
- refinement, polish or quality
- चमक camak, आभा ābhā
luster in Arabic
- brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- جاذِبيّة
- a shine, polish or sparkle
- إشْراق
- refinement, polish or quality
- تَهْذِيب tahḏīb, رِقّة
luster in Indonesian
- a shine, polish or sparkle
- kilau
- refinement, polish or quality
- kilau
luster in Persian
- refinement, polish or quality
- درخشش
More languagesFewer languages
Examples of luster in a sentence
- the diamond’s luster
- The resinous luster is seen in resins, of which the native mineral copalite is an example; it is also well exhibited in sulphur and sphalerite.1895, William Otis Crosby, Tables for the Determination of Common Minerals Chiefly by Their Physical Properties: With Confirmatory Chemical...
Synonyms of luster
Antonyms
Forms of luster
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | lusters |
| alternative Commonwealth | lustre |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | lusters |
| present participle | lustering |
| past participle | lustered |
| past | lustered |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Lusters |
Origin of luster
From Middle French lustre, from Old Italian lustro, from Old Italian lustrare (“brighten”), from Latin lūstrō (“to purify, to brighten”), from Latin lūstrum (“purification ritual”).
From Middle English lustre, from Latin lustrum, from Old Latin *loustrom, of uncertain origin. More at lustrum.
From lust + -er.
Words formed from luster
- deluster
- lackluster
- luster bowl
- luster china
- luster fabric
- luster fleece
- lusterful
- luster goods
- luster jug
- lusterless
- lustermaker
- lusterment
- luster mottling
- luster mug
- luster process
- luster teapot
- luster tile
- luster trade
- lusterware
- luster wool
- lustery
- lustrify
- lustrious
- lustriously
- lustriousness
- lustrous
- lustered
- lustering
Words that rhyme with luster
Questions about luster
- What does luster mean?
- Luster means the ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.
- What is luster in Hindi?
- Luster in Hindi is वैभव (vaibhav), तेज (tej), प्रताप (pratāp). See Luster meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use luster in a sentence?
- the diamond’s luster
- What part of speech is luster?
- Luster can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce luster?
- Luster is pronounced /ˈlʌstɚ/ (US).
- What is the plural of luster?
- The plural of luster is lusters.
Words near luster in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: luster (page history and authors); Luster (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-luster.ogg.
Cite this entry: “luster.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/luster. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.