twinkling
Americannoun
-
an act of shining with intermittent gleams of light.
-
the time required for a wink; an instant.
-
Archaic. winking; a wink.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of twinkling
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at 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."
Vocabulary lists containing twinkling
Let There Be Light: Synonyms for "Bright"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 7–9
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Not-So-Starry Nights: Light Pollution Turns Night into Day"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Digital creators also walked the red carpet twinkling and sparkling in cultures and sculpted dresses.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
A scruffy-faced Radcliffe, twinkling accessible geniality in jeans and a sweatshirt, zips up and down the cavernous theater as though waging a one-man campaign against the isolation epidemic.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 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
Through the cockpit, the city glowed on the horizon, a strip of twinkling lights severing the night sky from the dark Potomac river.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
Becky brushed aside her long hair, her diamond studs twinkling.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
