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definitions

sparkle

[spahr-kuh l]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sparkle ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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

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

noun

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RELATED WORDS

radiance, twinkle, gleam, vitality, glint, glimmer, glitz, glow, glisten, flicker, shimmer, wink, scintillate, dash, life, zip, panache, show, flash, gaiety

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 for sparkle

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for sparkle

Contemporary Examples of sparkle

Historical Examples of sparkle

  • 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.

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

  • 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 for sparkle

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.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper