bright

[ brahyt ]
See synonyms for bright on Thesaurus.com
adjective,bright·er, bright·est.
  1. radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining: The bright coins shone in the gloom.

  2. filled with light: The room was bright with sunshine.

  1. vivid or brilliant: a bright red dress;bright passages of prose.

  2. quick-witted or intelligent: They gave promotions to bright employees.

  3. clever or witty, as a remark: Bright comments enlivened the conversation.

  4. animated; lively; cheerful: a bright and happy child;a bird's bright song.

  5. characterized by happiness or gladness: All the world seems bright and gay.

  6. favorable or auspicious: bright prospects for the future.

  7. radiant or splendid: the bright pageantry of court.

  8. illustrious or glorious, as an era: the bright days of the Renaissance.

  9. clear or translucent, as liquid: The bright water trickled through his fingers.

  10. having a glossy, glazed, or polished finish.

  11. intensely clear and vibrant in tone or quality; clear and sharp in sound: a bright singing voice.

noun
  1. brights,

    • the automobile or truck headlights used for driving at night or under conditions of decreased visibility.

    • 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.

  2. flue-cured, light-hued tobacco.

  1. an artist's paintbrush having short, square-edged bristles.

  2. Archaic. brightness; splendor.

adverb,bright·er, bright·est.
  1. in a bright manner; brightly.

Origin of bright

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English breht, beorht; cognate with Gothic bairht(s), Old Saxon ber(a)ht, Old High German beraht, Old Norse bjartr; Welsh berth “splendid”; akin to Latin flagrāre “to blaze” (see flagrant), Albanian bardhë “white,” Sanskrit bhrājate “it shines”

synonym study For bright

1. 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, especially as are agreeable to the eyes: a radiant face. Shining implies giving forth or reflecting a strong or steady light: shining eyes.

Other words for bright

Opposites for bright

Other words from bright

  • brightish, adjective
  • brightly, adverb
  • o·ver·bright, adjective
  • o·ver·bright·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·bright·ness, noun
  • su·per·bright, adjective
  • un·bright, adjective
  • un·bright·ly, adverb
  • un·bright·ness, noun

Other definitions for Bright (2 of 2)

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 Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bright in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bright (1 of 2)

bright

/ (braɪt) /


adjective
  1. emitting or reflecting much light; shining

  2. (of colours) intense or vivid

  1. full of promise: a bright future

  2. full of animation; cheerful: a bright face

  3. informal quick witted or clever: a bright child

  4. magnificent; glorious: a bright victory

  5. polished; glistening: a bright finish

  6. (of the voice) distinct and clear

  7. (of a liquid) translucent and clear: a circle of bright water

  8. bright and early very early in the morning

noun
  1. a thin flat paintbrush with a straight sharp edge used for highlighting in oil painting

  2. poetic brightness or splendour: the bright of his armour

adverb
  1. brightly: the fire was burning bright

Origin of bright

1
Old English beorht; related to Old Norse bjartr, Gothic bairhts clear, Old High German beraht, Norwegian bjerk, Swedish brokig pied

Derived forms of bright

  • brightly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Bright (2 of 2)

Bright

/ (braɪt) /


noun
  1. John . 1811–89, British liberal statesman, economist, and advocate of free trade: with Richard Cobden he led the Anti-Corn-Law League (1838–46)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with bright

bright

In addition to the idioms beginning with bright

  • bright and early
  • bright idea
  • bright side

also see:

  • look on the bright side

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.