sparkle

[spahr-kuh l]

See more synonyms for sparkle on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), spar·kled, spar·kling.

to issue in or as if in little sparks, as fire or light: The candlelight sparkled in the crystal.
to emit little sparks, as burning matter: The flames leaped and sparkled.
to shine or glisten with little gleams of light, as a brilliant gem; glitter; coruscate.

to effervesce, as wine.
to be brilliant, lively, or vivacious.

verb (used with object), spar·kled, spar·kling.

to cause to sparkle: moonlight sparkling the water; pleasure sparkling her eyes.

noun

a little spark or fiery particle.
a sparkling appearance, luster, or play of light: the sparkle of a diamond.
brilliance, liveliness, or vivacity.

Origin of sparkle

1150–1200; Middle English (noun and v.); see spark¹, -le

Related formsnon·spar·kling, adjectiveout·spar·kle, verb (used with object), out·spar·kled, out·spar·kling.un·spark·ling, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for sparkle on Thesaurus.com

3. See glisten. 8. glitter.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sparkle

Contemporary Examples

Sitting in that plastic pitcher, she said, the water seemed to sparkle.
Are Water Filters B.S.?
Michael Schulson
August 19, 2014
Travelers are in danger of losing the “sparkle in their eyes” if they know too much in advance.
Do Michelin Stars Still Matter?
Brandon Presser
May 8, 2014
But he took the “sparkle” just before driving Shrimpton down a narrow winding mountain road.
Speed Read: 11 Juiciest Bits From Philip Norman’s Biography of Mick Jagger
The Daily Beast
October 1, 2012
And with a fine dose of ribbon embroidery and a bit of sparkle, grunge was dressed up enough for a grownup.
Raf’s Ready-to-Wear Debut at Dior
Robin Givhan
September 28, 2012
Watch the “Queen of Disco” shake and sparkle in this soulful rendition of the song.
The Best of Donna Summer, the ‘Queen of Disco’ (VIDEOS)
Brittany Jones-Cooper
May 17, 2012

Historical Examples

There was no sparkle of any kind on the lazy stream of his life.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
The color came into her cheeks at the memory, and a sparkle into her eyes.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
The glasses over his eyes seemed to sparkle as if with fire.
Jennie Baxter, Journalist
Robert Barr
Athens,—except for that sparkle,—thy name, I had moldered to ash!
Graded Poetry: Second Year
Various
The fliers hung aimless overhead, no sparkle to their hulls.
Slaves of Mercury
Nat Schachner

British Dictionary definitions for sparkle

sparkle

verb

to issue or reflect or cause to issue or reflect bright points of light
(intr) (of wine, mineral water, etc) to effervesce
(intr) to be vivacious or witty

noun

a point of light, spark, or gleam
vivacity or wit

Word Origin

C12 sparklen, frequentative of sparken to spark 1

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 sparkle

v.

c.1200, frequentative verb form of Middle English sparke (see spark). Of wines, from early 15c. Related: Sparkled; sparkling.

n.

early 14c., from sparkle (v.).

sparkle

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}sparkle

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for sparkle

Contemporary Examples

Sitting in that plastic pitcher, she said, the water seemed to sparkle.

Travelers are in danger of losing the “sparkle in their eyes” if they know too much in advance.

But he took the “sparkle” just before driving Shrimpton down a narrow winding mountain road.

And with a fine dose of ribbon embroidery and a bit of sparkle, grunge was dressed up enough for a grownup.

Watch the “Queen of Disco” shake and sparkle in this soulful rendition of the song.

Historical Examples

There was no sparkle of any kind on the lazy stream of his life.

The color came into her cheeks at the memory, and a sparkle into her eyes.

The glasses over his eyes seemed to sparkle as if with fire.

Athens,—except for that sparkle,—thy name, I had moldered to ash!

The fliers hung aimless overhead, no sparkle to their hulls.

sparkle

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for sparkle

v.

n.

Origin of sparkle