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bright - 10 dictionary results

bright

  [brahyt] adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb, -er, -est.
Use bright in a Sentence
–adjective
1. radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining: The bright coins shone in the gloom.
2. filled with light: The room was bright with sunshine.
3. vivid or brilliant: a bright red dress; bright passages of prose.
4. quick-witted or intelligent: They gave promotions to bright employees.
5. clever or witty, as a remark: Bright comments enlivened the conversation.
6. animated; lively; cheerful: a bright and happy child; a bird's bright song.
7. characterized by happiness or gladness: All the world seems bright and gay.
8. favorable or auspicious: bright prospects for the future.
9. radiant or splendid: the bright pageantry of court.
10. illustrious or glorious, as an era: the bright days of the Renaissance.
11. clear or translucent, as liquid: The bright water trickled through his fingers.
12. having a glossy, glazed, or polished finish.
13. intensely clear and vibrant in tone or quality; clear and sharp in sound: a bright singing voice.
–noun
14. brights,
a. the automobile or truck headlights used for driving at night or under conditions of decreased visibility.
b. the brighter level of intensity of these lights, usually deflected upward by switching on a bulb in the headlamp that strikes the lens at a different angle.
15. flue-cured, light-hued tobacco.
16. an artist's paintbrush having short, square-edged bristles.
17. Archaic. brightness; splendor.
–adverb
18. in a bright manner; brightly.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE breht, beorht; c. Goth bairht(s), OS ber(a)ht, OHG beraht, ON bjartr; Welsh berth splendid (< *berkto-); akin to L flagrāre to blaze (see flagrant ), Albanian (i) bardhë white, Skt bhrājate(it) shines

Related forms:
brightish, adjective
brightly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. refulgent, effulgent, lustrous, lucent, beaming, lambent. Bright, brilliant, radiant, shining refer to that which gives forth, is filled with, or reflects light. Bright suggests the general idea: bright flare, stars, mirror. Brilliant implies a strong, unusual, or sparkling brightness, often changeful or varied and too strong to be agreeable: brilliant sunlight. Radiant implies the pouring forth of steady rays of light, esp. as are agreeable to the eyes: a radiant face. Shining implies giving forth or reflecting a strong or steady light: shining eyes. 4. keen, discerning, sharp, sharp-witted, ingenious, clever. 8. promising, encouraging.

Antonyms:
1. dull, dim.

Bright

  [brahyt]
–noun
1. John, 1811–89, British statesman and economist.
2. Richard, 1789–1858, English physician.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bright
bright   (brīt)   
adj.   bright·er, bright·est
    1. Emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; shining.
    2. Comparatively high on the scale of brightness.
    3. Full of light or illumination: a bright sunny day; a stage bright with spotlights.
  2. Characterizing a dyestuff that produces a highly saturated color; brilliant.
  3. Glorious; splendid: one of the bright stars of stage and screen; a bright moment in history.
  4. Full of promise and hope; auspicious: had a bright future in publishing.
  5. Happy; cheerful: bright faces.
  6. Animatedly clever; intelligent.
  7. High and clear: the bright sound of the trumpet section.

[Middle English, from Old English beorht; see bherəg- in Indo-European roots.]
bright, bright'ly adv.
Synonyms: 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 Synonyms at intelligent.
Bright   (brīt)   
British politician and noted orator who was a founder of the Anti-Corn Law League (1839).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bright

Bright\, v. i. See Brite, v. i.

Bright

Bright\, a. [OE. briht, AS. beorht, briht; akin to OS. berht, OHG. beraht, Icel. bjartr, Goth. ba['i]rhts. [root]94.]

1. Radiating or reflecting light; shedding or having much light; shining; luminous; not dark.

The sun was bright o'erhead. --Longfellow.

The earth was dark, but the heavens were bright. --Drake.

The public places were as bright as at noonday. --Macaulay.

2. Transmitting light; clear; transparent.

From the brightest wines He 'd turn abhorrent. --Thomson.

3. Having qualities that render conspicuous or attractive, or that affect the mind as light does the eye; resplendent with charms; as, bright beauty.

Bright as an angel new-dropped from the sky. --Parnell.

4. Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.

5. Sparkling with wit; lively; vivacious; shedding cheerfulness and joy around; cheerful; cheery.

Be bright and jovial among your guests. --Shak.

6. Illustrious; glorious.

In the brightest annals of a female reign. --Cotton.

7. Manifest to the mind, as light is to the eyes; clear; evident; plain.

That he may with more ease, with brighter evidence, and with surer success, draw the bearner on. --I. Watts.

8. Of brilliant color; of lively hue or appearance.

Here the bright crocus and blue violet grew. --Pope.

Note: Bright is used in composition in the sense of brilliant, clear, sunny, etc.; as, bright-eyed, bright-haired, bright-hued.

Syn: Shining; splending; luminous; lustrous; brilliant; resplendent; effulgent; refulgent; radiant; sparkling; glittering; lucid; beamy; clear; transparent; illustrious; witty; clear; vivacious; sunny.

Bright

Bright\, n. Splendor; brightness. [Poetic]

Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear. --Milton.

Bright

Bright\, adv. Brightly. --Chaucer.

I say it is the moon that shines so bright. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : bright
Spanish: luminoso, resplandeciente, brillante,
German: hell,
Japanese: 明るい
More Translations »

bright 
O.E. bryht, by metathesis from beorht "bright, splendid," from P.Gmc. *berkhiaz, from PIE base *bhereg- "to gleam, white" (cf. Goth. bairhts "bright," Skt. bhrajate "shines, glitters," Lith. breksta "to dawn," Welsh berth "bright, beautiful," L. flagrare "to blaze"). Meaning "quick-witted" is from 1741.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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bright

In addition to the idioms beginning with bright, also see look on the bright side.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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