glisten

American  

[glis-uhn] / ˈglɪs ən /

verb (used without object)

1. to reflect a sparkling light or a faint intermittent glow; shine lustrously.

   Synonyms:

   glitter, gleam, glimmer

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noun

1. a glistening; sparkle.

glisten British  

/ ˈɡlɪsən /

verb

1. (of a wet or glossy surface) to gleam by reflecting light

   wet leaves glisten in the sunlight

2. (of light) to reflect with brightness

   the sunlight glistens on wet leaves

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noun

1. rare a gleam or gloss

Related Words

Glisten, shimmer, sparkle refer to different ways in which light is reflected from surfaces. Glisten refers to a lustrous light, as from something sleek or wet, or it may refer to myriads of tiny gleams reflected from small surfaces: Wet fur glistens. Snow glistens in the sunlight. Shimmer refers to the changing play of light on a (generally moving) surface, as of water or silk: Moonbeams shimmer on water. Silk shimmers in a high light. To sparkle is to give off sparks or small ignited particles, or to send forth small but brilliant gleams, sometimes by reflection: A diamond sparkles with numerous points of light.

Other Word Forms

• glisteningly adverb
• unglistening adjective

Etymology

Origin of glisten

First recorded before 1000; Middle English glis(t)nen (verb), Old English glisnian, derivative of glisian “to glitter; ” -en ¹

Explanation

Glisten is a verb meaning that something looks shiny, like it's wet. Rocks on the beach glisten in the sun. And your sister’s prom dress, covered in sequins, no doubt will glisten under the disco ball. The word glisten can also be used metaphorically. After you tossed and turned throughout the night, in the morning, you could see the perfect solution glisten right in front of you. As a noun, a glisten is a bright shine. When you are driving into the setting sun, the glisten of the sun on the hood of the car makes it hard to see.

Example Sentences

Christmas lights glisten, a communal tree beckons to be decorated and a marionette handler wanders the grounds.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

Silver pearls glisten on the men’s foreheads and their eyes are sunken deep in their pale faces, framed in a stubble of beard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

This is where the dip starts to glisten.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025

At fish counters across Long Island, imported salmon fillets glisten in greater profusion than local mackerel and black sea bass.

From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2024

Rhinestone pieces, spread across the snow, glisten in the glare of the streetlight.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

Related Words

• flicker
• gleam
• glimmer
• glint
• glitter
• glow
• shine
• sparkle
• twinkle