afterglow

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   light or color remaining in the sky after the sun has set

   The western clouds stayed orange in the afterglow.

2. 2
   noun

   a pleasant feeling or effect that remains after an enjoyable or successful experience

   The team celebrated in the afterglow of its championship victory.

3. 3
   noun

   light or radiation that continues after its source has stopped or cooled

   The detector measured the faint afterglow of the brief energy burst.

A compound of after + glow, first used for the light remaining after sunset or another bright source fades. The figurative sense transfers that lingering radiance to the pleasant emotional effect left by an experience.

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