bright

—brightish, adj. —brightly, adv.

/bruyt/, adj., brighter, brightest, n., adv., brighter, brightest.

adj.

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.

n.

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.

adv.

18. in a bright manner; brightly.

[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 flagrare to blaze (see FLAGRANT), Albanian (i) bardhë white, Skt bhrajate(it) shines]

Syn. 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.

Ant. 1. dull, dim.

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