bright

adjective

1. 1

   Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant.

   The sky was remarkably bright and blue on that beautiful summer day.

   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, […]

   Thee Father firſt they ſung Omnipotent, / […] that brighteſt Seraphim / Approach not, but with both their wings veil thir eyes.

   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.

2. 2

   Of light: brilliant, intense.

   Could you please dim the light? It’s far too bright.

3. 3

   Of an object, surface, etc.: reflecting much light; having a high lustre; gleaming, shiny.

4. 4

   Of a place: not dark; well-lit.

5. 5

   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.

   [H]e felt the influence of the bright sky, and looked up smiling into its deep unfathomable blue.

   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.

6. 6

   figurativeClearly apparent; conspicuous.

   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.

7. 7

   figurativeOf a colour: not muted or pale; bold, brilliant, vivid.

   Her step was quick; her eye piercing, and of the brightest blue; […]

8. 8

   figurativeOf an object, surface, etc.: having vivid colour(s); colourful.

   The orange and blue walls of the sitting room were much brighter than the dull grey walls of the kitchen.

   Here the bright crocus and blue vi'let glow; / Here weſtern winds on breathing roſes blow.

   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.

9. 9

   figurativeOf a musical instrument, sound, or a voice: clearly audible; clear, resounding, and often high-pitched.

10. 10

    figurativeOf a room or other place: having acoustic qualities that tend to cause much echoing or reverberation of sound, particularly at high frequencies.

11. 11

    figurativeOf a scent or taste: having an agreeable balance of sweet and sour, often with associations of coolness, freshness, and sometimes aromaticity.

12. 12

    figurativeOf a scent or taste: not bland or mild; bold, sharp, strong.

13. 13

    figurativeOf a substance: clear, transparent; also, pure, unadulterated; (specifically) of wine: free of suspended particles; not cloudy; fine.

    From […] the brighteſt Wines / He'd turn abhorrent.

14. 14

    figurativeGlorious; illustrious.

    And 'twas the worſt, if not the only ſtain, / I'th' brighteſt Annals of a Female Reign.

15. 15

    figurativeIn good spirits; happy, optimistic.

    I woke up today feeling so bright that I decided to have a little dance.

    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[…].

16. 16

    figurativeOf the face or eyes, or a smile: showing happiness or hopefulness; cheerful, lively.

    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

17. 17

    figurativeOf a person: lively, vivacious.

    Come on: / Gentle my Lord, ſleeke o're your rugged Lookes, / Be bright and Iouiall among your Gueſts to Night.

18. 18

    figurativeOf a period of history or time: happy, prosperous, successful.

    She has a bright future ahead.

    Yesterday / Was a nicer day / Will we ever find / That time? / Yesterday / Was a brighter day / Could it ever be / That way?

    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

    It's been raining the whole summer / The brightest days are few and far between

19. 19

    figurativeOf an opportunity or outlook: having a reasonable chance of success; favourable, good.

    If he trains hard, his chances of winning the competition are bright.

20. 20

    figurativeOf conversation, writing, etc.: imaginative or sparkling with wit; clever, witty.

21. 21

    figurativeHaving a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.

    She’s very bright. She was able to solve the problem without my help.

    ―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.

    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.

22. 22

    archaicOf the eyes: able to see clearly; of eyesight: keen, sharp.

23. 23

    archaicManifest to the mind as light is to the eyes; clear, evident, plain.

    [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.

24. 24

    figurativeOf a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat.

25. 25

    figurativeOf a note: slightly sharp.

26. 26

    Of a metal object or surface: lacking any protective coating or surface treatment for the prevention of corrosion.

noun

1. 1

   archaicBrightness, glow.

   Thee Father firſt they ſung Omnipotent, / […] when thou ſhad'ſt / The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud / Drawn round about thee like a radiant Shrine, / Dark with exceſſive bright thy ſkirts appeer, / Yet dazle Heav'n, […]

2. 2

   archaicGlory, splendour.

3. 3

   Something (especially a product intended for sale) that has vivid colours or a lustrous appearance.

4. 4

   A person with a naturalistic worldview with no mystical or supernatural elements.

   Brights constitute 60% of American scientists, and a stunning 93% of those scientists good enough to be elected to the elite National Academy of Sciences (equivalent to Fellows of the Royal Society) are brights.

   Many of us brights have devoted considerable time and energy at some point in our lives to looking at the arguments for and against the existence of God, and many brights continue to pursue these issues, hacking away vigorously at the arguments of believers as if they were trying to refute a rival scientific theory. But not I.

   [Richard] Dawkins has received appreciative letters from people who were formerly what he derisively calls "faith-heads" who have abandoned their delusions and come over to the side of the brights, the pleasant green pastures where clear-eyed, brave, bold, and supremely brainy atheists graze contentedly.

5. 5

   An artist's brush used in acrylic and oil painting with a long ferrule and a flat, somewhat tapering bristle head.

adverb

1. 1

   In a bright manner; brightly, glowingly, luminously, lustrously.

2. 2

   figurativeReferring to colour: with bold or vivid colours; brightly, boldly, vividly.

3. 3

   archaicReferring to sight, sound, understanding, etc.: clearly, distinctly; brightly.

verb

1. 1

   Often followed by up: to cast light on (someone or something); to brighten, to illuminate.

2. 2

   figurativeOften followed by up: to cause (someone or something) to be bright (in various senses); to brighten; specifically, to make (someone or something) energetic, or happy and optimistic.

   Toward Mid-day he [the Sun] brighteth the Air into a chearful Saphir, and guildeth the Borders of the very Clouds with a coſtly limbus.

3. 3

   figurativeOften followed by up: to become bright (in various senses); to brighten.

   Day brighteth at the smile o' her and yea, He hath aplanted full o' seed for harvesting by thy loving.

Forms

plural

brights

comparative

brighter, more bright

superlative

brightest, most bright

past tense

brighted

past participle

brighted

present participle

brighting

third person singular

brights