brightness

[brahyt-nis]

noun

1. the quality of being bright.

2. Optics.,  the luminance of a body, apart from its hue or saturation, that an observer uses to determine the comparative luminance of another body. Pure white has the maximum brightness, and pure black the minimum brightness.

ˈbrightness

/ ˈbraɪtnɪs /

noun

1. the condition of being bright

2. physics a former name for luminosity

3. psychol the experienced intensity of light

Word History and Origins

Origin of ˈbrightness¹

before 950; Middle English brihtnes, Old English beorhtnes. See bright, -ness

Example Sentences

CaSSIS could not measure the coma's full extent because its brightness fades rapidly with distance from the nucleus, eventually disappearing into background noise.

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These light sources required only 8 V to reach maximum light output, and about 80% exceeded the target brightness for computer monitors.

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Instead, Hope Boykin’s choreography added a dark intensity to Bernstein’s brightness.

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Its nickname recalls a time when farmers would use the moon's brightness to collect crops in the evening.

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Tangy: Tang adds brightness, bite and lift — the note that cuts through cheese, sauce and fried starch.

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Related Words

• brilliance 
• illumination 
• luster