Definition
Lucid prose lets the idea shine straight through, as if the words were glass — the Latin lucidus means 'full of light'. A lucid explanation makes a hard subject feel easy; a lucid argument is coherent enough to follow on the first reading. Applied to the mind it means clear-headed: a feverish patient may have a brief lucid interval before the confusion returns. What is lucid is never ambiguous, because light leaves nowhere for doubt to hide.
Examples
- Her lecture was so lucid that even the most abstract proof felt obvious.
- He has a gift for lucid writing: complex policy explained without a single confusing sentence.
- After hours of fever she had a lucid moment, recognized her daughter, then drifted off again.
Collocations
a lucid explanation·lucid prose·a lucid account·a lucid interval
Synonyms
clear·coherent·intelligible·articulate·transparent
Antonyms
ambiguous·confusing·muddled
Word family
lucidity (noun)·lucidly (adverb)
In TOEFL & IELTS
A strong word for both exams. TOEFL reading praises authors for 'lucid' explanations, and vocabulary items pair it with 'clear'. In IELTS Speaking and Writing, calling an argument 'lucid' (or writing 'lucidly') signals high lexical resource — just keep it for genuine clarity, not mere brevity. Note the noun 'lucidity' and the medical set phrase 'a lucid interval'.