scintillation
noun
scin·til·la·tion
ˌsin-tə-ˈlā-shən 
1
: an act or instance of scintillating
especially
: rapid changes in the brightness of a celestial body
2
a
: a spark or flash emitted in scintillating
b
: a flash of light produced in a phosphor by an ionizing event
3
: a brilliant outburst (as of wit)
4
: a flash of the eye
Examples of scintillation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While lacking some knowledge of the original source material may hinder the play’s clarity, the staccato rhythms iron out beautifully in a stunning second act that ties up every necessary loose end with scintillation.
—
David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024
The quality of light at the moment when totality begins is stupendous with an amazing show of iridescence, scintillation, and delicate colors.
—Michael E. Bakich, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
See the white or black spots flickering at the intersections in this image from Ninio's study? Blurred Hermann grids produce, as found by Bergen (1985), a scintillation effect.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2016
This reaction produces a tiny amount of light—scintillation—which is measured by sensors and subsequently processed by computer algorithms.
—WIRED, 13 Jan. 2023
The strange state of affairs today is that one scintillation experiment—DAMA, located at Gran Sasso—has actually seen a signal.
—Lisa Randall, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2012
There will be a flash or scintillation of ultraviolet light.
—Fred Guterl, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2010
Hilary Duff's Late Late Show look some subtle scintillation.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2022
But Wang found hallmarks of scintillation from six galaxies at once.
—Max G. Levy, Wired, 24 Feb. 2021
David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024
The quality of light at the moment when totality begins is stupendous with an amazing show of iridescence, scintillation, and delicate colors.
—Michael E. Bakich, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
See the white or black spots flickering at the intersections in this image from Ninio's study? Blurred Hermann grids produce, as found by Bergen (1985), a scintillation effect.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2016
This reaction produces a tiny amount of light—scintillation—which is measured by sensors and subsequently processed by computer algorithms.
—WIRED, 13 Jan. 2023
The strange state of affairs today is that one scintillation experiment—DAMA, located at Gran Sasso—has actually seen a signal.
—Lisa Randall, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2012
There will be a flash or scintillation of ultraviolet light.
—Fred Guterl, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2010
Hilary Duff's Late Late Show look some subtle scintillation.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2022
But Wang found hallmarks of scintillation from six galaxies at once.
—Max G. Levy, Wired, 24 Feb. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scintillation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scintillation
Cite this Entry
“Scintillation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scintillation. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
scintillation
noun
scin·til·la·tion
ˌsint-ᵊl-ˈā-shən
often attributive
: a flash of light produced in a phosphor by an ionizing event
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