brightener

[ brahyt-n-er ]

noun
  1. a person or thing that brightens.

  2. a chemical or other agent used to increase brightness, as one added to toothpaste or detergent to intensify the cleansing or bleaching process.

Origin of brightener

1
First recorded in 1790–1800; brighten + -er1

Words Nearby brightener

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use brightener in a sentence

  • Of the specialty detergents, I’ve used Assos extensively, and find that it does an excellent job on synthetics, especially for preserving color, since it has optical brighteners.

  • That epoch, to which I have looked forward as the brightener of my every view upon earth—how is it now clouded!'

    Camilla | Fanny Burney
  • But chaperonage was far from the whole destiny of a brightener.

    The Brightener | C. N. Williamson
  • Mine was to gird my loins at Lucille's and Redfern's, in order to become a brightener.

    The Brightener | C. N. Williamson
  • But I felt that my reputation as a brightener was at stake, with Terry's hopes.

    The Brightener | C. N. Williamson