scintillate

American  

[sin-tl-eyt] / ˈsɪn tlˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

scintillated, scintillating

1. to emit sparks.

2. to sparkle; flash.

   a mind that scintillates with brilliance.

3. to twinkle, as the stars.

4. Electronics. (of a spot of light or image on a radar display) to shift rapidly around a mean position.

5. Physics.

   1. (of the amplitude, phase, or polarization of an electromagnetic wave) to fluctuate in a random manner.

   2. (of an energetic photon or particle) to produce a flash of light in a phosphor by striking it.

---

verb (used with object)

scintillated, scintillating

1. to emit as sparks; flash forth.

scintillate British  

/ ˈsɪntɪˌleɪt /

verb

1. (also tr) to give off (sparks); sparkle; twinkle

2. to be animated or brilliant

3. physics to give off flashes of light as a result of the impact of particles or photons

---

Other Word Forms

• scintillant
  adjective
• scintillantly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of scintillate

First recorded in 1615–25, scintillate is from the Latin word scintillātus (past participle of scintillāre to send out sparks, flash). See scintilla, -ate ¹

Explanation

The verb scintillate means to twinkle or glow, as in a flickering light. You may find it romantic to sit on the deck overlooking a lake on a clear night, where you can enjoy the scintillating stars in the sky and the reflection of the moon on the water. Scintillate means to be sparkling and lively. Scintillate has its roots in the Latin words scintillare, meaning "to sparkle," and scintilla, meaning "a spark." The verb scintillate is related to the adjective scintillating and the noun scintilla. If you enjoy witty repartee, people may say your conversation scintillates with humor and they enjoy how you are so clever.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scintillate scintillated scintillating

Liverpool certainly didn't scintillate with their display in the Midlands but they showed the resilience of champions.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

“Sky Islands” evokes the magical Philippines upper rainforests, where sounds scintillate in a thinned atmosphere that gives gongs new glories, where animals capable of great ascension exclusively live, where the mind is ready for enlightenment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025

Space telescopes see the universe undistorted by Earth’s atmosphere, whose shifting air causes stars to scintillate, or twinkle, and whose gas molecules block many wavelengths entirely, including much of the infrared.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 14, 2022

But it's not just dark-matter particles that cause argon to scintillate like this, so we have to minimize interference.

From Nature ● Sep. 27, 2016

“I never saw a fellow able to scintillate 78 like that at his own wedding,” remarked the son of the Bishop to the best man’s sister.

From The Indifference of Juliet by Hutt, Henry

Kevin De Bruyne scintillated throughout, with Riyad Mahrez closely behind.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 21, 2019

The American consumer world is thrilled into electric activity, the rubbish scintillated and redeemed.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 8, 2017

The Dutch midfielder’s added-time header came as City scintillated before the break and seriously ran out of gas after it.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 5, 2016

It was as large as half a mat; it was multicolored, and it scintillated.

From Time Magazine Archive

What struggle there was in him between Nature and Grace in this interval, I cannot tell: only singular gleams scintillated in his eyes, and strange shadows passed over his face.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Brook had made a scintillating hundred but tried one big shot too many to fall for 111.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Ben Duckett's scintillating century built on an inspirational bowling spell from Ben Stokes to haul England back into the decisive third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Enter “Dad Brain,” a scintillating if uneven book by Darby Saxbe, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California and an expert on fatherhood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

"It's nearly invisible to the naked eye but our instruments give rise to a vision of swaths of scintillating corona glowing as thunderstorms pass overhead," McFarland said.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 21, 2026

There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien