bright
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: brīt
ipa: /bɹaɪt/
rhymes: -aɪt
Forms: form: brighter
form: brightest
Etymology: The adjective is from Middle English bright, from Old English beorht, from Proto-West Germanic *berht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz (“bright”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ- (“to shine, to gleam, whiten”).
The noun is derived from Middle English bright (“brightness, brilliance; daylight; light”), from bright (adjective): see above.
The English word is cognate with Albanian bardhë (“white”), Dutch brecht (in personal names), Icelandic bjartur (“bright”), Lithuanian brekšta (“to dawn”), Middle Irish brafad (“blink of an eye”), Norwegian bjart (“bright, clear, shining”), Persian برازیدن (barâzidan, “to beautify; to befit”), Northern Luri بڵێز (bełız, “blaze”) Russian бре́зжить (brézžitʹ, “to dawn; to flicker faintly, glimmer; (figuratively) of a hope, thought, etc.: to begin to manifest, emerge”), Sanskrit भ्राजते (bhrājate), Scots bricht (“bright”), Welsh berth (“beautiful, fair, fine”) (obsolete).
Senses: examples: text: The sky was remarkably bright and blue on that beautiful summer day.
text: Where the bright Seraphim in burning row / Their loud up-lifted Angel trumpets blow; / And the Cherubick hoſt in thouſand quires / Touch their immortal Harps of golden wires, […]
ref: 1646 (indicated as 1645), John Milton, “At a Solemn Musick”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], →OCLC, page 22:
text: Thee Father firſt they ſung Omnipotent, / […] that brighteſt Seraphim / Approach not, but with both their wings veil thir eyes.
ref: 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 372 and 381–382:
text: There were very few people about, and though the sun was bright, and the air clear and fresh, the big, grim-looking waves, that seemed dark themselves because the foam that topped them was like snow, forced themselves in through the narrow mouth of the harbour—like a bullying man going through a crowd.
ref: 1897, Bram Stoker, “Cutting from ‘The Dailygraph,’ 8 August (Pasted in Mina Murray’s Journal.)”, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC, chapter VII, page 95:
glosses: Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant.
examples: text: Could you please dim the light? It’s far too bright.
glosses: Of light: brilliant, intense.
synonyms: word: lustrous
word: gleamy
word: glisteny
word: mirrorlike
word: mirrory
word: relucent
word: shining
word: shiny
word: zazzy
antonyms: dull
glosses: Of an object, surface, etc.: reflecting much light; having a high lustre; gleaming, shiny.
examples: text: It was said that the Irish whom [Louis de Duras, 2nd Earl of] Feversham had let loose were marching on London and massacring every man, woman, and child on the road. At one in the morning the drums of the militia beat to arms. […] Before two the capital wore a face of stern preparedness which might well have daunted a real enemy, if such an enemy had been approaching. Candles were blazing at all the windows. The public places were as bright as at noonday.
ref: 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter X, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume II, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 564:
glosses: Of a place: not dark; well-lit.
examples: text: [H]e felt the influence of the bright sky, and looked up smiling into its deep unfathomable blue.
ref: 1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 77.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 392:
text: Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.
ref: 1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 6:
glosses: Of climate or weather: not cloudy or gloomy; fair; also, of a period of time, the sky, etc.: characterized by much sunshine and good weather.
examples: text: They gathered soberly in the farthest recess of the ward and gossiped about him in malicious, offended undertones, rebelling against his presence as a ghastly imposition and resenting him malevolently for the nauseating truth of which he was bright reminder.
ref: 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 169:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Clearly apparent; conspicuous.
examples: text: Her step was quick; her eye piercing, and of the brightest blue; […]
ref: 1838 May, L. M., “The West Fifty Years Since”, in T[homas] W[illis] White, editor, The Southern Literary Messenger: Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts, volume IV, number V, Richmond, Va.: T. W. White, […], →OCLC, chapter II, page 308, column 1:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a colour: not muted or pale; bold, brilliant, vivid.
examples: text: The orange and blue walls of the sitting room were much brighter than the dull grey walls of the kitchen.
text: Here the bright crocus and blue vi'let glow; / Here weſtern winds on breathing roſes blow.
ref: a. 1745 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Spring. The First Pastoral, or Damon. […]”, in The Works of Alexander Pope Esq. […], volume I, London: […] J[ohn] and P[aul] Knapton, H. Lintot, J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, and S. Draper, published 1751, →OCLC, page 12, lines 31–32:
text: Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
ref: 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 15:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of an object, surface, etc.: having vivid colour(s); colourful.
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a musical instrument, sound, or a voice: clearly audible; clear, resounding, and often high-pitched.
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a room or other place: having acoustic qualities that tend to cause much echoing or reverberation of sound, particularly at high frequencies.
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a scent or taste: having an agreeable balance of sweet and sour, often with associations of coolness, freshness, and sometimes aromaticity.
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a scent or taste: not bland or mild; bold, sharp, strong.
examples: text: From […] the brighteſt Wines / He'd turn abhorrent.
ref: 1728, [James] Thomson, Spring: A Poem, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar and G[eorge] Strahan, →OCLC, page 10:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a substance: clear, transparent; also, pure, unadulterated; (specifically) of wine: free of suspended particles; not cloudy; fine.
examples: text: And 'twas the worſt, if not the only ſtain, / I'th' brighteſt Annals of a Female Reign.
ref: 1681, Charles Cotton, The Wonders of the Peake, London: […] Joanna Brome, […], →OCLC, page 16:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Glorious; illustrious.
examples: text: I woke up today feeling so bright that I decided to have a little dance.
text: Their spirits had risen a little at the discovery of the path, but now they sank into their boots; and yet they would not give it up and go away. The hobbit [Bilbo Baggins] was no longer much brighter than the dwarves. He would do nothing but sit with his back to the rock-face and stare[…].
ref: 1937 September 21, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “On the Doorstep”, in The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again, revised edition, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published February 1966 (August 1967 printing), →OCLC, page 199:
qualifier: transferred senses
synonyms: word: berserk
word: blissed out
word: blithe
word: buoyant
word: blithesome
word: bonnie
word: bright
word: cheerful
word: cheerly
word: cheery
word: chuffed
word: cock-a-hoop
word: content
word: contented
word: convivial
word: delighted
word: ebullient
word: ecstatic
word: elated
word: euphoric
word: excited
word: exhilarated
word: exuberant
word: exultant
word: fat and happy
word: gassed
word: gay
word: gayful
word: glad
word: gladsome
word: gleeful
word: gleesome
word: happy
word: hearty
word: high on life
word: jovial
word: joyful
word: merry
word: merry as a cricket
word: merry as a grig
word: mirthsome
word: on cloud nine
word: overjoyed
word: overjoyous
word: over the moon
word: pacific
word: perky
word: placated
word: pleased
word: satisfied
word: thrilled
word: tickled pink
word: triumphant
word: vivacious
word: wealful
word: happy as a clam
word: happy as a clam at high water
word: happy as a lark
word: happy as a pig in mud
word: happy as a pig in shit
word: happy as a prince
word: happy as Larry
word: happy as the day is long
antonyms: word: blissed out
word: blissful
word: cock-a-hoop
word: content
word: delighted
word: ecstatic
word: elated
word: excited
word: exultant
word: gay
word: glad
word: gleeful
word: happy
word: jovial
word: joyful
word: on cloud nine
word: overjoyed
word: over the moon
word: pacific
word: perky
word: placated
word: pleased
word: satisfied
word: thrilled
word: tickled pink
word: triumphant
glosses: In good spirits; happy, optimistic.
examples: text: Bright eyes / Burning like fire / Bright eyes / How can you close and fail? / How can the light that burned so brightly / Suddenly burn so pale? / Bright eyes
ref: 1978 October 19, Mike Batt, “Bright Eyes”, in Fate for Breakfast, performed by Art Garfunkel, published 19 January 1979:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of the face or eyes, or a smile: showing happiness or hopefulness; cheerful, lively.
examples: text: Come on: / Gentle my Lord, ſleeke o're your rugged Lookes, / Be bright and Iouiall among your Gueſts to Night.
ref: c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 140, column 2:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a person: lively, vivacious.
examples: text: She has a bright future ahead.
text: Things are going great, and they're only getting better / I'm doing all right, getting good grades / The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades
ref: 1986, Pat MacDonald, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”, in Greetings from Timbuk3, performed by Timbuk3:
text: It's been raining the whole summer / The brightest days are few and far between
ref: 2023, Ryland Heagy, “The Brightest Days”, in The Brightest Days, performed by Origami Angel:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a period of history or time: happy, prosperous, successful.
examples: text: If he trains hard, his chances of winning the competition are bright.
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of an opportunity or outlook: having a reasonable chance of success; favourable, good.
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of conversation, writing, etc.: imaginative or sparkling with wit; clever, witty.
examples: text: She’s very bright. She was able to solve the problem without my help.
text: ―Ah, God, Corley replied, sure I couldn't teach in a school, man. I was never one of your bright ones, he added with a half laugh, Got stuck twice in the junior at the Christian Brothers.
ref: 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 16: Eumaeus]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part III [Nostos], page 573:
text: Think of banking today and the image is of grey-suited men in towering skyscrapers. Its future, however, is being shaped in converted warehouses and funky offices in San Francisco, New York and London, where bright young things in jeans and T-shirts huddle around laptops, sipping lattes or munching on free food.
ref: 2013 August 3, “Revenge of the nerds: An explosion of start-ups is changing finance for the better”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847, London: Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Aug 2013:
qualifier: transferred senses
synonyms: word: astute
word: brainy
word: bright
word: brilliant
word: clever
word: educated
word: genius
word: gifted
word: ingenious
word: intellectual
word: intelligent
word: keen
word: knowledgeable
word: piquant
word: quick
word: quick-witted
word: rational
word: sagacious
word: savvy
word: scholared
word: sharp
word: smart
word: talented
word: whip-smart
word: wise
antonyms: word: intelligent
glosses: Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of the eyes: able to see clearly; of eyesight: keen, sharp.
examples: text: [T]he Queriſt muſt not proceed too ſwiftly towards the Determination of his Point propos'd, that he may with more Eaſe, with brighter Evidence, and with ſurer Succeſs draw the Learner on to aſſent to thoſe Principles ſtep by ſtep, from whence the final Concluſion will naturally ariſe.
ref: 1741, I[saac] Watts, “The Socratical Way of Disputation”, in The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC, paragraph V, page 172:
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Manifest to the mind as light is to the eyes; clear, evident, plain.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
qualifier: transferred senses
glosses: Of a note: slightly sharp.
topics: engineering
metallurgy
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Of a metal object or surface: lacking any protective coating or surface treatment for the prevention of corrosion.
Derived terms: word: bright and morning star
word: bright as a button
word: bright as a new button
word: bright as a new coin
word: bright as a new dollar
word: bright as a new penny
word: bright as a new pin
word: brighten
word: bright-eyed
word: bright eyed and bushy tailed
word: bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
word: bright field
word: bright giant
word: bright green
word: brightish
word: brightleaf
word: bright lights
word: bright lights and cold steel
word: bright line
word: bright-line rule
word: brightly
word: bright nail
word: brightness
word: bright-rumped attila
word: Bright Saturday
word: bright shiny object
word: bright side
word: brightsizing
word: brightsmith
word: bright soliton
word: brightsome
word: bright spark
word: brights
word: bright spot
word: Bright Week
word: brightwork
word: bright young people
word: Bright Young Thing
word: bright young thing
word: cold steel and bright lights
word: early bright
word: embrighten
word: eyebright
word: gold-bright
word: honour bright
word: look on the bright side
word: look on the bright side of it
word: meadow bright
word: night-bright
word: noblebright
word: overbright
word: radio-bright
word: Retr0bright
word: see-bright
word: sunbright
word: superbright
word: the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long
word: ultrabright
word: unbright
word: underbright