bright

1. adjective

1)

the bright surface of the metal

Syn:

shining, brilliant, dazzling, beaming, glaring; sparkling, flashing, glittering, scintillating, gleaming, glowing, luminous, radiant; shiny, lustrous, glossy

Ant:

dull, dark

2)

a bright morning

Syn:

sunny, sunshiny, cloudless, clear, fair, fine

Ant:

cloudy, overcast

3)

bright crayons

Syn:

vivid, brilliant, intense, strong, bold, glowing, rich; gaudy, lurid, garish; colorful, vibrant; dated gay

Ant:

drab

4)

a bright guitar sound

Syn:

clear, vibrant, pellucid; high-pitched

5)

a bright young graduate

Syn:

clever, intelligent, quick-witted, smart, canny, astute, intuitive, perceptive; ingenious, resourceful; gifted, brilliant; informal brainy

Ant:

dimwitted, stupid

6)

a bright smile

Syn:

happy, cheerful, cheery, jolly, merry, sunny, beaming; lively, exuberant, buoyant, bubbly, bouncy, perky, chirpy; dated gay

Ant:

cheerless

7)

a bright future

Syn:

promising, rosy, optimistic, hopeful, favorable, propitious, auspicious, encouraging, good, golden

Ant:

dismal, pessimistic

2. adverb, literary

the moon shone bright

Syn:

brightly, brilliantly, intensely

••

bright, brilliant, effulgent, luminous, lustrous, radiant, refulgent, resplendent, shining

Looking for just the right word to capture the quality of the light on a moonlit night or a summer day? All of these adjectives describe an intense, steady light emanating (or appearing to emanate) from a source. Bright is the most general term, applied to something that gives forth, reflects, or is filled with light (a bright and sunny day; a bright star). Brilliant light is even more intense or dazzling (the brilliant diamond on her finger), and resplendent is a slightly more formal, even poetic, way of describing a striking brilliance (the sky was resplendent with stars). Poets also prefer adjectives like effulgent and refulgent, both of which can be applied to an intense, pervading light, sometimes from an unseen source (her effulgent loveliness); but refulgent specifically refers to reflected light (a chandelier of refulgent crystal pendants). Radiant is used to describe the power of giving off light, either literally or metaphorically (a radiant June day; the bride's radiant face); it describes a steady, warm light that is emitted in all directions. Like radiant, luminous suggests sending forth light, but light of the glow-in-the-dark variety (the luminous face of the alarm clock). While diamonds are known for being brilliant, fabrics like satin and surfaces like polished wood, which reflect light and take on a gloss or sheen, are often called lustrous. If none of these words captures the exact quality of the light you're trying to describe, you can always join the masses and use shining, a word that has been overworked to the point of cliché (my knight in shining armor).