a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts
"The sign on the corner store glowed brightly thanks to neon gas trapped inside its vacuum tubes."
The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10. The second of the noble gases, it is a colourless, odorless inert gas.
"The scientist carefully filled the glass tube with neon to demonstrate its characteristic red glow when ionized by electricity."
In plain English: Neon is a bright red gas that glows when electricity passes through it and is often used to make eye-catching signs.
"The neon sign on the corner flickered brightly all night long."
Usage: Use "neon" as a noun to refer specifically to the chemical element or its glowing lights, but use an adjective like "fluorescent" when describing something that is merely very bright without being made of this gas. Avoid using it for any ordinary light source unless you intend to emphasize its distinctive electric glow and color.
That resembles a neon light; extremely bright; fluorescent
"The dancer wore a neon outfit that made her glow under the dark stage lights."
In plain English: Neon describes something that looks bright and glowing, usually with vivid red colors similar to those seen inside old-fashioned gas signs at night.
"The neon sign outside the bar glowed brightly at night."
The word neon comes from Ancient Greek νέον (néon), meaning "new." It was originally derived from the Greek word for new, though its modern usage refers to the chemical element rather than something recent.