brightness
Americannoun
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the quality of being bright.
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Optics. the luminance of a body, apart from its hue or saturation, that an observer uses to determine the comparative luminance of another body. Pure white has the maximum brightness, and pure black the minimum brightness.
noun
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the condition of being bright
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physics a former name for luminosity
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psychol the experienced intensity of light
Etymology
Origin of brightness
before 950; Middle English brihtnes, Old English beorhtnes. See bright, -ness
Vocabulary lists containing brightness
Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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Physics - Introductory
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Physics - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s why I find myself reaching for them whenever a dish needs a little herbal brightness without requiring me to rummage through half the spice cabinet.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
They need more brightness, more salt, more personality.
From Salon • May 28, 2026
The aim, from the start, was not to spotlight people but to illuminate architecture—an inversion of the usual transit instinct to flood everything with harsh brightness.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Although the comet reached peak brightness on April 22, 1066, it was not visible in Brittany and the British Isles until April 24.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
Javier turned the TV off, and he could see himself and Javier reflected in the screen, the light from the streetlamp falling on them both, covering them in shadows and bars of brightness.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
