twinkling

American  

[twing-kling] / ˈtwɪŋ klɪŋ /

noun

1. an act of shining with intermittent gleams of light.

2. the time required for a wink; an instant.

3. Archaic. winking; a wink.

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twinkling British  

/ ˈtwɪŋklɪŋ, twɪŋk /

noun

1. Also called: twinkling of an eye.  a very short time; instant; moment

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twinkling Idioms  

1. see in the twinkling of an eye.

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Other Word Forms

• untwinkling adjective

Etymology

Origin of twinkling

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; twinkle, -ing ¹

Explanation

The adjective twinkling refers to light that appears sporadically bright and then faint. When the light from stars is twinkling, it may look as if they're winking at you. Of course, it's not the stars themselves that are twinkling, but their light, which gets refracted as it passes through the turbulence of the earth's atmosphere. The same goes for the lights of distant cities or any other lights that stay constant but appear to brighten and dim. As a noun, twinkling means something brief, as in "the twinkling of an eye."

Example Sentences

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the cabin headliner, twinkling like thousands of LED stars in the firmament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The audience rehashed its hunches, they circled potential suspects, they stared at a static image of a horrific crime scene, awash in twinkling moonlight.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

He used the giant telescope to capture the twinkling of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

Over tens of thousands of years, Kalas explained, the region around Fomalhaut would appear to be filled with glowing debris, "sparkling with these collisions" -- similar to twinkling holiday lights.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

Little twinkling ones, big glowing ones that resemble diamonds.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas