How to Use diaphanous in a Sentence

diaphanous

adjective
  • Each plant shoots dozens of them from the soil, and their diaphanous leaves form a canopy above our heads.
    — Max Falkowitz, Saveur, 28 Nov. 2018
  • The diaphanous mesh pieces that look as though they’re painted on the body— that sleek almost wet look.
    — Alice Cary, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2023
  • One is boxy and diaphanous, white with a pattern of red flowers; the other is black linen.
    — Jean Garnett, The New Yorker, 10 July 2023
  • There’s one that starts with a diaphanous piano melody and then dives into a crash of guitars.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023
  • The dough is supple but sturdy, not a mere diaphanous veil but offering a bite of its own.
    — New York Times, 26 Apr. 2018
  • They were evoked in the actual shapes and silhouettes of the diaphanous and frothy silk gowns.
    — Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2019
  • Thin and diaphanous, this ribbon is formed by dust and ice ejected by Enceladus.
    — National Geographic, 27 June 2018
  • Bruton wears a stately blue dress covered by a diaphanous white lace shawl, her hair a riot of curls.
    — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 28 Jan. 2020
  • As for your bed linens, lose the formal duvet and keep sheets casual with diaphanous white linens.
    — Jennifer Fernandez, ELLE Decor, 27 Nov. 2019
  • From her left wrist hangs a small, diaphanous plastic bag tied at the neck, its contents not quite visible.
    — Longreads, 27 July 2017
  • The rocks closest to the spray were white with rime, and a faint rainbow hung in the air, a diaphanous net catching color.
    — Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
  • By the time the portrait was finished, the scrap of cloth had transformed on the canvas into a diaphanous dress.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Handsome women swathed in diaphanous silks and heavy velvets sporting strong noses and wild manes of flaming hair?
    — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2022
  • But at the time, the cognoscenti oohed and aahed about their diaphanous moods and painterly refinement.
    — Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2020
  • Volume and texture emerged as the week’s dominant themes, with full skirts and diaphanous fabrics.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2020
  • The semi-diaphanous design featured see-through long sleeves as well as sheer mesh that bared her sides and appeared to wrap around the back.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The mascot’s diaphanous wings illuminate with the car’s lights.
    — Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 4 Aug. 2022
  • Colors were eye-popping, either prime or acid and the silhouette was tight and sporty, or flowing and diaphanous.
    — Thomas Adamson, Star Tribune, 30 Sep. 2020
  • The sheen and muscle of Strauss wedded to the diaphanous spirit of Debussy.
    — David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, 21 Sep. 2017
  • The dark-haired woman in the painting is wearing a diaphanous blue robe, wafting across an Ipanema beach.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2021
  • Even as figs continue to pelt the ground, the first to fall have begun to rot and are enveloped in a nimbus of diaphanous white fungus.
    — National Geographic, 29 Sep. 2016
  • The grills are designed to handle a diaphanous, ephemeral smoke, not a penetrating one.
    — Jim Shahin, charlotteobserver, 29 Aug. 2017
  • The grills are designed to handle a diaphanous, ephemeral smoke, not a penetrating one.
    — Jim Shahin, sacbee, 5 Sep. 2017
  • The grills are designed to handle a diaphanous, ephemeral smoke, not a penetrating one.
    — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 30 Aug. 2017
  • Farber conveys the fresh wound of Hamlet's grief by bringing out the corpse of his father draped in a diaphanous shroud.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2020
  • Steve Granitz Halle Berry isn’t the only star to embrace diaphanous dressing this week.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2024
  • The diaphanous sleeves that draped so elegantly off her shoulders were attached to the dress with an edgy metal collar.
    — Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 5 May 2022
  • And in its fleeting clearings, delightfully diaphanous woodwinds and flutes told the tale.
    — Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Dion’s look appeared to be made out of a slightly sheer material, showing off her legs through the diaphanous fabric.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 16 June 2026
  • Layered over that was a diaphanous white chiffon cape that fell to about the breastbone in the front and opened at the sides to allow the skin of bare arms to peek through.
    — Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diaphanous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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