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:
Bonds have been more of a bright spot for fund managers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 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
The sun is incredibly bright, even when partially obscured by the moon.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The source was extremely bright at some wavelengths, yet its light vanished entirely below certain wavelengths.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
It was a bright, cold morning, and the Forest had never looked so beautiful.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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
Bright colors might pop, but traditional Craftsman homes have earth tones — according to the plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 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
He said Mr Justice Bright did misdirect the jury about the waiver, but only on it being potentially "decisive" if it were a civil trial instead of a criminal one.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Our paper was over by morning break, and Bright was anxious to leave, but I told him to wait till the bell rang and classes resumed so no one would see us go.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
"You have something that looks a bit like a star but is 100 billion times brighter," Naidu says.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
The beach grows brighter as fires multiply from Malvarrosa down toward the port.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 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
Ford’s brighter outlook came as the carmaker reported second-quarter earnings that were well above analyst expectations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The golden light shone brighter as we approached, and the current felt warmer.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
This finding indicates that black holes may continue producing strong outflows long after their brightest phase has ended.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 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
Known as one of the brightest, fastest and most active meteor showers of the year, it occurs when Earth passes through the debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Bring together the best and brightest drawn from the federal government, from the leading AI companies, from business and labor, from economics, from public health, from ethics to form a working group with actual authority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
When I opened my eyes the next morning, the brightest yellow sunshine was coming through the window.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
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.
