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Synonyms

shining

American  
[shahy-ning] / ˈʃaɪ nɪŋ /

adjective

  1. radiant; gleaming; bright.

    Synonyms:
    effulgent
  2. resplendent; brilliant.

    shining talents.

    Synonyms:
    lustrous
  3. conspicuously fine.

    a shining example.

    Synonyms:
    splendid, prime, eminent, distinguished, outstanding

Related Words

See bright.

Other Word Forms

  • self-shining adjective
  • shiningly adverb
  • unshining adjective

Etymology

Origin of shining

First recorded before 900; Middle English s(c)hininge, schininde, Old English scinende; shine 1, -ing 2

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.

The experiments revealed that shining light on the crystals causes their internal lattice to shift quickly.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Cricket's laws do not allow players to alter the condition of the ball, other than when shining it.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

And, as much as I hate to unwittingly side with network executives, a new iteration that featured Gellar as anything other than its shining star wouldn’t have the dynamism of the original series.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

“He was like a knight in shining armor,” says Megan Snyders, 33, a British children’s book illustrator who watched Manguillier search for her friend Olivia Tysoe’s engagement ring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

The sun was shining, the fog was thinning, the robot was rowing.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown