What is another name for rainbow?
Literally speaking, a
rainbow is an
arc (bow) of colors that appears in the sky due to rays of sunshine being
reflected and
refracted by raindrops (or other water droplets). The word
rainbow is also commonly used to refer to any artistic representations of this. Technically speaking, a
rainbow can be classified as a
primary rainbow or a
secondary rainbow. Together, they can form a
double rainbow.
Triple rainbows are very rare.
Rainbow is also commonly used as an adjective that means containing all or many colors of the
spectrum (the main ones being red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—aka
roygbiv). Synonyms of this sense include
multicolored (or
multicolor),
kaleidoscopic, and
prismatic.
Kaleidoscopic suggests something full of bright colors in a way that’s reminiscent of the images seen when looking through a kaleidoscope.
Prismatic is a reference to the
rainbow-colored when light shines through a prism. Extended from this is a more general sense of
rainbow that’s applied to anything featuring a
diverse collection of people or things, as in
rainbow coalition.
Rainbows and
rainbow flags are popularly used as symbols of the
LGBTQ+ community.
What is another way to say sunshine and rainbows?
Sunshine and rainbows is an idiom used to refer a situation that’s completely positive in all aspects. The phrase is most often used in negative constructions to imply that such situations are rare or impossible (and that it’s
naive to think that they’re not), as in
Marriage is not all sunshine and rainbows. Phrases used to mean the same thing often use some of the same terms in varying combinations:
sunshine and lollipops,
unicorns and rainbows,
sunshine and puppies. The phrase
peaches and cream can mean the same thing, but it’s more often used in positive constructions. The phrase
sweetness and light is somewhat similar, but it’s usually applied to people, as opposed to situations. Singles words that can mean the same thing are
rosy and
rose-colored.
