Showing results for "twinkling"

• present participle of twinkle.

twinkling

American  

[twing-kling] / ˈtwɪŋ klɪŋ /

noun

• twinklings
  plural

1. an act of shining with intermittent gleams of light.

2. the time required for a wink; an instant.

3. Archaic. winking; a wink.

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twinkling British  

/ ˈtwɪŋklɪŋ, twɪŋk /

noun

1. Also called: twinkling of an eye.  a very short time; instant; moment

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twinkling Idioms  

1. see in the twinkling of an eye.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• untwinkling
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• twinklings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of twinkling

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at twinkle, -ing ¹

Explanation

The adjective twinkling refers to light that appears sporadically bright and then faint. When the light from stars is twinkling, it may look as if they're winking at you. Of course, it's not the stars themselves that are twinkling, but their light, which gets refracted as it passes through the turbulence of the earth's atmosphere. The same goes for the lights of distant cities or any other lights that stay constant but appear to brighten and dim. As a noun, twinkling means something brief, as in "the twinkling of an eye."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

twinkling twinklings

A canopy of candy-colored paper lanterns and twinkling lights hangs over a long dining table opposite the restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

The store’s front facade was wrapped in a giant plaid scarf made of 126,000 twinkling Christmas lights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

The audience rehashed its hunches, they circled potential suspects, they stared at a static image of a horrific crime scene, awash in twinkling moonlight.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

After a romantic ride through chic neighbourhoods, Castel got down on one knee as a violinist played with the twinkling Eiffel Tower in the background.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

‘See, that’s us,’ Hannie said, her voice twinkling with lightness.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

"It quickly became clear to me that mutability has these twinklings of joy, sometimes ecstasy, which comes through in the poems, I think."

From The Guardian ● Jan. 27, 2011

For, abruptly, walls and floor and roof broke forth into countless twinklings!

From The Metal Monster by Abraham Merritt

I once might see the fairies dance A-circle in their meadow-haunts, Soft-tapered by the new-moon's glance: Their airy feet in crystal shoon Made twinklings neath the silver moon.

From The Coast of Bohemia by Thomas Nelson Page

Innumerable twinklings of stars faintly illuminated a cloudless, serene heaven, and a foaming, plunging ocean.

From Overland by J. W. (John William) De Forest

At the next table another crimson match went off, leaving, as it died down fumily, the yellow twinklings of the garden a bilious green.

From The Debit Account by Oliver [pseud.] Onions