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as in intelligent
having or showing quickness of mind a company that is always looking for bright, ambitious college graduates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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bright

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bright differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bright are brilliant, luminous, lustrous, and radiant. While all these words mean "shining or glowing with light," bright implies emitting or reflecting a high degree of light.

When is brilliant a more appropriate choice than bright?

While the synonyms brilliant and bright are close in meaning, brilliant implies intense often sparkling brightness.

In what contexts can luminous take the place of bright?

While in some cases nearly identical to bright, luminous implies emission of steady, suffused, glowing light by reflection or in surrounding darkness.

When would lustrous be a good substitute for bright?

The meanings of lustrous and bright largely overlap; however, lustrous stresses an even, rich light from a surface that reflects brightly without glittering.

When might radiant be a better fit than bright?

Although the words radiant and bright have much in common, radiant stresses the emission or seeming emission of rays of light.

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bright
Adjective
The songs are bangers, the visuals are bright and engaging, and the women of HUNTR/X are every bit the superheroes that Superman and the Fantastic Four are. Erik Adams, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2025 The supermoon will be about 30% brighter and 14% larger than the average full moon, according to NASA. Mike Haskey, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2025 Fragrant, early to mid-season bloomer with bright, clear red double flowers. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025 His big, bright smile, infectious energy and eternal positivity created a presence that continually uplifted others. Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bright
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bright
Adjective
  • The best shining example of something that was influenced by us is the British version of The Office.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Attendees rode in support of and alongside community member Eva Zamora, who is a shining example of how to live your best life with Parkinson’s disease and takes cycle classes at EōS regularly, a news release stated.
    News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • While the skyscraper's exterior has already become an illuminated ornament on Detroit's skyline, the interior isn't yet finished, and the hotel and condos aren't expected until 2027.
    JC Reindl, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Hypersonic cruise vehicles that operate below about 30 km (19 miles) wouldn’t create such large, illuminated plumes, and terminal dives wouldn’t produce extensive, bright displays that could be seen over a wide area.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Born in Tangier to Spanish parents, María Ángeles lives out her widowhood with cheerful self-sufficiency.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Its cheerful, harmonious colors evoke the pleasure and leisure associated with reading from childhood onward.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The company’s mission is to eliminate design errors and accelerate innovation through intelligent automation.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
  • His modernization was both intelligent and beautiful, rooted in Coco’s own starting point — menswear codes and techniques.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • With Knight looking sharp and stonewalling several promising scoring chances, Boqvist delivered his fourth game-winning goal since signing with the Panthers before last season and ninth of his career.
    Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
  • As part of his homework, Hanke provided a systemic analysis that narrowed a list of 239 potential candidates to the 50 most promising choices.
    Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Conditions are favorable for the development of weak, brief funnel clouds.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Its surveys vary in their findings across time and can be either favorable or unfavorable to the government.
    Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Has an outstanding technical skill set.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Cinematographer Carlos Catalan has worked on Broadchurch, Dope Girls, Murdered by My Boyfriend and Killing Eve, and production designer Dominic Hyman on The Witcher, The Last Kingdom and earned an Emmy for outstanding art direction on HBO’s The Pacific.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The result is skin that feels calm, hydrated, and radiant.
    Sarah Han, Allure, 2 Oct. 2025
  • This year, at the 2025 Breezy Bowl XX Official Tour After Party, Monica was radiant in long, parted hair with dark pink lipstick and eyeshadow.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bright. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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