bright
(brīt)
[Middle English, from Old English beorht.]
adjective: bright·er, bright·est.
- Emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; shining.
- Comparatively high on the scale of brightness.
- Full of light or illumination: a bright sunny day; a stage bright with spotlights.
- Characterizing a dyestuff that produces a highly saturated color; brilliant.
- Glorious; splendid: one of the bright stars of stage and screen; a bright moment in history.
- Full of promise and hope; auspicious: had a bright future in publishing.
- Happy; cheerful: bright faces.
- Animatedly clever; intelligent.
- High and clear: the bright sound of the trumpet section.
derivatives
- bright
- adverb
synonyms:
bright, brilliant, radiant, lustrous, lambent, luminous, incandescent, effulgent These adjectives refer to what emits or reflects light. Bright is the most general: bright sunshine; a bright blue. Brilliant implies intense brightness and often suggests sparkling or gleaming light: a brilliant color; a brilliant gemstone. Something radiant emits or seems to emit light in rays: a radiant sunrise; a radiant smile. A lustrous object reflects an agreeable sheen: thick, lustrous auburn hair. Lambent applies to a soft, flickering light: “its tranquil streets, bathed in the lambent green of budding trees” (James C. McKinley) Luminous especially refers to something that glows in the dark: a luminous watch dial. Incandescent stresses burning brilliance: Flames consist of incandescent gases. Effulgent suggests splendid radiance: “The crocus, the snowdrop, and the effulgent daffodil are considered bright harbingers of spring” (John Gould)- See also: intelligent
