scintillating

[sin-tl-ey-ting]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scintillating ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

animated; vivacious; effervescent: a scintillating personality.

witty; brilliantly clever: a scintillating conversationalist; a play full of scintillating dialogue.

Origin of scintillating

First recorded in 1880–85; scintillate + -ing¹

Related formsscin·til·lat·ing·ly, adverbun·scin·til·lat·ing, adjective

scintillate

[sin-tl-eyt]

verb (used without object), scin·til·lat·ed, scin·til·lat·ing.

to emit sparks.

to sparkle; flash: a mind that scintillates with brilliance.

to twinkle, as the stars.

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

Physics.

(of the amplitude, phase, or polarization of an electromagnetic wave) to fluctuate in a random manner.
(of an energetic photon or particle) to produce a flash of light in a phosphor by striking it.

verb (used with object), scin·til·lat·ed, scin·til·lat·ing.

to emit as sparks; flash forth.

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, -ate¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for scintillating

brilliant, exciting, dazzling, sparkling, lively, animated, twinkling, gleaming, smart, shining, glimmering, glinting, flashing, clever, ebullient, sprightly, witty

Examples from the Web for scintillating

Contemporary Examples of scintillating

With some scintillating play, Die Oranje backed up their standing as dark horses for the tournament.
World Cup Primer
Joshua Robinson
June 12, 2010
And thus as scintillating, as thrilling as they often are to watch, they also come tinged with tragedy for those who “blew it.”
Baseball's Greatest Comebacks
Kevin Baker
October 17, 2008
And thus as scintillating, as thrilling as they often are to watch, they also come tinged with tragedy for those who "blew it."
Baseball's Greatest Comebacks
Kevin Baker
October 17, 2008

Historical Examples of scintillating

Oh, life was one scintillating cluster breast-pin of ecstasies!
Dr. Sevier
George W. Cable
It remained on the crest, however, frozen and scintillating.
The Trimming of Goosie
James Hopper
Light, everywhere light; scintillating, dancing, swinging light!
The Lure of the Mask
Harold MacGrath
He threw himself full on the point of the scintillating vibroblade.
Unwise Child
Gordon Randall Garrett
His satire is keen, but delicate, and his wit is scintillating and brilliant.
Early Western Travels, 1748-1846, Volume XII
William Faux

British Dictionary definitions for scintillating

scintillating

adjective

sparkling; twinkling

animated or brilliant

Derived Formsscintillatingly, adverb

scintillate

verb (mainly intr)

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

to be animated or brilliant

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

Derived Formsscintillant, adjectivescintillantly, adverb

Word Origin for scintillate

C17: from Latin scintillāre, from scintilla a spark

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

Word Origin and History for scintillating

scintillate

1620s, from Latin scintillatus, past participle of scintillare "to sparkle, glitter, gleam, flash," from scintilla "spark" (see scintilla). Related: Scintillated; scintillating.