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Synonyms

sunshine

American  
[suhn-shahyn] / ˈsʌnˌʃaɪn /

noun

  1. the shining of the sun; direct light of the sun.

  2. brightness or radiance; cheerfulness or happiness.

  3. a source of cheer or happiness.

  4. the effect of the sun in lighting and heating a place.

  5. a place where the direct rays of the sun fall.

adjective

  1. of or relating to sunshine laws.

    sunshine rules.

  2. fair-weather.

sunshine British  
/ ˈsʌnˌʃaɪn /

noun

  1. the light received directly from the sun

  2. the warmth from the sun

  3. a sunny area

  4. a light-hearted or ironic term of address

"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

Other Word Forms

  • sunshineless adjective
  • sunshiny adjective

Etymology

Origin of sunshine

1200–50; Middle English sunnesin; sun, shine 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Visit West Hollywood – Head out to West Hollywood for a different pace: sunshine, good wandering, and a little scene-y energy.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

However, the increasingly strong spring sunshine gets to work and temperatures can rise quite rapidly.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

In 1931, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein was spending his first winter at Caltech, and he wrote to a friend, “Here in Pasadena, it is like Paradise. Always sunshine and clear air …”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

"With these costs, I'm going to have to ask for more money from customers" for the ride, said Marcel, amid the habitual din of engines and horns blaring in the Kinshasa sunshine.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The morning sunshine is warm against my hair, my skin.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.