glisten

[ glis-uhn ]

See synonyms for: glisten glistened glistening glisteningly on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

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

noun

a glistening; sparkle.

Origin of glisten

First recorded before 1000; Middle English glis(t)nen (verb), Old English glisnian, derivative of glisian “to glitter; ” see -en¹

synonym study For glisten

1. 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 words for glisten

1	glimmer, gleam, glitter

See synonyms for glisten on Thesaurus.com

Other words from glisten

glis·ten·ing·ly, adverb
un·glis·ten·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use glisten in a sentence

But with unlimited access to the luxurious sandwiches, piled high with glistening meat, a buttery apocalypse of gluttony unfolded.
My Big, Buttery Lobster Roll Rumble: We Came, We Clawed, We Conquered | Scott Bixby | June 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A gorgeous, glistening rendition of “Lost Cause” came next, and the airy Morning Phase standout “Blue Moon” ended the sequence.
Beck’s Musical Time Machine: This Wasn’t a Concert. It was a Spectacular Party. | Andrew Romano | April 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
To bring things full circle, on the German leg of her world tour, Beyoncé appeared on stage in one of Ford's glistening designs.
Beyoncé Rocks Tom Ford; Fast Retailing Backs Out of J. Crew Deal | The Fashion Beast Team | March 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Especially because her role was about a strong woman, we wanted to embody strength,” Williams said of the glistening dress.
Celebrity Stylists Dish About Dressing for the Oscars | Erin Cunningham | February 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Boris plunged in his hand and drew out an exquisite marble thing, blue-veined, rose-tinted, and glistening with opalescent drops.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

A girl smaller than herself, and dressed from neck to heels in a glistening raincoat, ran under Jesss umbrella and seized her arm.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. Morrison
Out upon the linoleum 29 rolled the glistening coinsseveral of them gold piecesthat Jess had noted so greedily in the egg store.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. Morrison
It was the glistening look that comes when he is watching baby, or hearing Margaret say pretty things to her.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
Very compact and fine-grained reddish granular quartz, with a glistening lustre, and flat conchoidal fracture.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] | Phillip Parker King
Morning found him walking across fresh meadowlands with the dew glistening on his bare head and broad, straight shoulders.
The Man from Time | Frank Belknap Long

British Dictionary definitions for glisten

glisten

/ (ˈɡlɪsən) /

verb(intr)

(of a wet or glossy surface) to gleam by reflecting light: wet leaves glisten in the sunlight
(of light) to reflect with brightness: the sunlight glistens on wet leaves

noun

rare a gleam or gloss

Origin of glisten

Old English glisnian; related to glisian to glitter, Middle High German glistern

Derived forms of glisten

glisteningly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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