Lucid and lucent are two words that are similar in spelling and pronunciation and are often confused. We will examine the definitions of lucid and lucent, where these two words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Lucid means clear and coherent, easy to understand, mentally coherent, rational and sane. Lucid is often used when someone has been ill and has recovered all his faculties, or when someone may have intermittent dementia. Related words are lucidity, lucidly. The word lucid is derived from the Latin word lucidus which bright or clear.
Lucent means shining, brilliant, emitting light. Something that is lucent glows, the word lucent generally has a comforting or transcendent connotation. Lucent is an adjective, some related words are lucently and lucency. The word lucent is derived from the Latin word lucere meaning meaning shine or bright. Lucid and lucent are derived from related Latin words.
Examples
MEE understands that the conversation between Salame and Haftar did not make much sense because the Libyan commander was not lucid. (The Libyan Express)
“I was not lucid enough to understand what was happening in El Bosque parish,” where Karadima was stationed, Valenzuela said in a recent radio interview, but this excuse did not absolve him. (Commonweal Magazine)
A second collection of dreams involved 625 reports of people’s “worst nightmares,” and 388 more were drawn from reports of lucid self-awareness in which people consciously know that they are dreaming. (Psychology Today Magazine)
Residents with colorful glow sticks and flashy novelty items lined the sidewalks to cheer for the parade’s 52 participants, whose floats and vehicles were decorated with an array of lucent lights. (The Las Cruces Sun News)