scintillating

American  

[sin-tl-ey-ting] / ˈsɪn tlˌeɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. animated; vivacious; effervescent.

   a scintillating personality.

2. witty; brilliantly clever.

   a scintillating conversationalist;

   a play full of scintillating dialogue.

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scintillating British  

/ ˈsɪntɪˌleɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. sparkling; twinkling

2. animated or brilliant

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Other Word Forms

• scintillatingly adverb
• unscintillating adjective

Etymology

Origin of scintillating

First recorded in 1880–85; scintillat(e) + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The overarching mood is more sedate than scintillating; the word “bittersweet” comes up a lot.

From The Wall Street Journal

From that point on, though, it was a scintillating display worthy of the European champions.

From Barron's

The other scintillating confession comes in the back of an SUV when Ratner drags it out of Melania that her favorite musician is Michael Jackson.

From Los Angeles Times

Sharp finishes from Bath's scintillating backs further rewarded the bruising first-half effort from their forwards.

From BBC

Silver is on a scintillating run, skyrocketing nearly 160% over the past 12 months to near a record high of about $80 an ounce.

From Barron's

Related Words

• brilliant
• dazzling
• exciting
• lively
• sparkling