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• bright
  bright

  adjective

  radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining.
• Bright
  Bright

  noun

  John, 1811–89, British statesman and economist.

bright

¹ American  

[brahyt] / braɪt /

adjective

brighter, brightest

1. radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining.

   The bright coins shone in the gloom.

   Synonyms:

   lambent, beaming, lucent, lustrous, effulgent, refulgent, radiant

   Antonyms:

   dim, dull

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.

   Synonyms:

   clever, ingenious, sharp-witted, sharp, discerning, keen

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.

   Synonyms:

   promising

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.

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noun

1. brights,

   1. the automobile or truck headlights used for driving at night or under conditions of decreased visibility.

   2. 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.

2. flue-cured, light-hued tobacco.

3. an artist's paintbrush having short, square-edged bristles.

4. Archaic. brightness; splendor.

adverb

brighter, brightest

1. in a bright manner; brightly.

Bright ² American  

[brahyt] / braɪt /

noun

1. John, 1811–89, British statesman and economist.

2. Richard, 1789–1858, English physician.

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bright ¹ British  

/ braɪt /

adjective

1. emitting or reflecting much light; shining

2. (of colours) intense or vivid

3. full of promise

   a bright future

4. full of animation; cheerful

   a bright face

5. informal quick witted or clever

   a bright child

6. magnificent; glorious

   a bright victory

7. polished; glistening

   a bright finish

8. (of the voice) distinct and clear

9. (of a liquid) translucent and clear

   a circle of bright water

10. very early in the morning

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noun

1. a thin flat paintbrush with a straight sharp edge used for highlighting in oil painting

2. poetic brightness or splendour

   the bright of his armour

adverb

1. brightly

   the fire was burning bright

Bright ² British  

/ braɪt /

noun

1. John . 1811–89, British liberal statesman, economist, and advocate of free trade: with Richard Cobden he led the Anti-Corn-Law League (1838–46)

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bright Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bright

• look on the bright side

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Related Words

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

• brightish
  adjective
• brightly
  adverb
• overbright
  adjective
• overbrightly
  adverb
• overbrightness
  noun
• superbright
  adjective
• unbright
  adjective
• unbrightly
  adverb
• unbrightness
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

He told us tales of big brinjals, bright pumpkin flowers, sprite okra that grew in the farmland in what’s now Bangladesh, where he grew up.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

Every eight weeks or so, I head to the blood donation center in Providence bright and early.

From Slate • May 9, 2026

Shoppers carrying cups of bright green matcha have become ubiquitous in town centres across the UK.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

At the time, most LEDs on the market were bright and white, so the city went with those.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

A name as sunny and bright as the warm smile she gave us.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• blazing
• brilliant
• dazzling
• flashing
• glistening
• glittering
• golden
• intense
• luminous
• radiant
• shimmering
• shiny
• silvery
• sparkling
• sunny
• vivid