bright
adjective
radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining.
bright
1 American
[brahyt]
/ braɪt /
adjective
-
brighter,
comparative
-
brightest
superlative
-
radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining.
The bright coins shone in the gloom.
-
filled with light.
The room was bright with sunshine.
-
vivid or brilliant.
a bright red dress;
bright passages of prose.
-
quick-witted or intelligent.
They gave promotions to bright employees.
- Synonyms:
- clever, ingenious, sharp-witted, sharp, discerning, keen
-
clever or witty, as a remark.
Bright comments enlivened the conversation.
-
animated; lively; cheerful.
a bright and happy child;
a bird's bright song.
-
characterized by happiness or gladness.
All the world seems bright and gay.
-
favorable or auspicious.
bright prospects for the future.
- Synonyms:
- promising
-
radiant or splendid.
the bright pageantry of court.
-
illustrious or glorious, as an era.
the bright days of the Renaissance.
-
clear or translucent, as liquid.
The bright water trickled through his fingers.
-
having a glossy, glazed, or polished finish.
-
intensely clear and vibrant in tone or quality; clear and sharp in sound.
a bright singing voice.
noun
-
brights,
-
the automobile or truck headlights used for driving at night or under conditions of decreased visibility.
-
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.
-
-
flue-cured, light-hued tobacco.
-
an artist's paintbrush having short, square-edged bristles.
-
Archaic. brightness; splendor.
adverb
brighter,
brightest
Bright
2
American
[brahyt]
/ braɪt /
noun
-
John, 1811–89, British statesman and economist.
-
Richard, 1789–1858, English physician.
bright
1
British
/ braɪt /
adjective
-
emitting or reflecting much light; shining
-
(of colours) intense or vivid
-
full of promise
a bright future
-
full of animation; cheerful
a bright face
-
informal quick witted or clever
a bright child
-
magnificent; glorious
a bright victory
-
polished; glistening
a bright finish
-
(of the voice) distinct and clear
-
(of a liquid) translucent and clear
a circle of bright water
-
very early in the morning
noun
-
a thin flat paintbrush with a straight sharp edge used for highlighting in oil painting
-
poetic brightness or splendour
the bright of his armour
adverb
Bright
2
British
/ braɪt /
noun
bright
Idioms
Synonym Usage
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, especially as are agreeable to the eyes: a radiant face. Shining implies giving forth or reflecting a strong or steady light: shining eyes.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
overbrightnessnoun
-
unbrightnessnoun
-
brightishadjective
-
overbrightadjective
-
superbrightadjective
-
unbrightadjective
-
brightlyadverb
-
overbrightlyadverb
-
unbrightlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of bright
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English breht, beorht; cognate with Gothic bairht(s), Old Saxon ber(a)ht, Old High German beraht, Old Norse bjartr; Welsh berth “splendid”; akin to Latin flagrāre “to blaze” ( see flagrant ( def. )), Albanian bardhë “white,” Sanskrit bhrājate “it shines”
Explanation
After a long, gray winter, it's hard to remember what a bright, sunny day is like. Bright means shining with light. The adjective bright is good for describing anything that emits, reflects, or is full of light — like the bright moon, the bright sky or the bright, well-lit room. Bright can also mean vivid or vibrant — such as a bright purple three-piece suit. More figuratively, bright means "full of hope or possibility" — like your bright future as a marine biologist.
Vocabulary lists containing bright
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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.
See Examples For:
Their bright orange covers are stuffed with little more than what feels like poly-foam -completely inadequate for the open and unpredictable waters of the English Channel.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
"This was Hayden. Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright," she wrote in the caption.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Retail sales – a gauge of consumption – could offer a bright spot, with the WSJ poll guiding for a rise of 1.4% in July versus 1.0% the prior month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The little boy adds a bright rainbow, a shining sun and a tall tree to his illustration, while other displaced children paint alongside him at a shelter in Pereira.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
His house is a single-family home painted bright yellow with cream-colored trim.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“I have to find another option,” she said, pointing to Bright Horizons in Westwood as one of the only nearby choices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Bright white flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have been installed this week across the capital Kabul, where new murals declare: "Independence is a sign of dignity, pride and identity".
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
"I will miss my friends and colleagues hugely, but I am looking forward to my next chapter and spending more time with my wonderful boys," Bright said, referring to her husband and three sons.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Bright and juicy, earthy and floral, with a light ruby color and notes of strawberry and fresh black cherry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Tonight could well be the last night of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females,” she thought, curling into a ball.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
The beach grows brighter as fires multiply from Malvarrosa down toward the port.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
It will appear brighter than every nearby star.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
Former Afghan soldier Haidary Hamedullah risked his life to cross the Channel hoping for a brighter future for his family in Britain, but just weeks later UK authorities expelled him back to France.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Dolby Cinema pairs Dolby Vision HDR with Dolby Atmos audio, while laser projection offers brighter images and sharper detail than older digital systems.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
It whispered a few words to it and then the crystal glowed even brighter.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Replicating those numbers is unlikely but the Greek international has looked one of the brightest players during pre-season.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Swift J1727.8−1613 was discovered after it suddenly erupted in 2023 and quickly became one of the brightest X-ray sources in the sky.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
James will join 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey—one of the brightest young scorers in the NBA—to form what is likely the last superteam of his career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Beta Pictoris d avoided detection for years because it is embedded within one of the brightest debris disks astronomers have ever observed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
He wore sunglasses that covered his entire face and the loudest, brightest outfit I had ever seen.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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.
