Synonyms of brightnext
1
a
: radiating or reflecting light : shining, sparkling
bright lights
bright eyes
b
: sunny
a bright day
also : radiant with happiness
bright smiling faces
bright moments
2
: illustrious, glorious
the brightest star of the opera
3
4
: of high saturation or lightness
bright colors
5
a
: lively, cheerful
… be bright and jovial among your guests …William Shakespeare
b
: intelligent, clever
a bright idea
bright children
6
: auspicious, promising
bright prospects for the future
Look on the bright side. [=the good part of something that is mostly bad]
bright adverb
brightly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for bright

bright, brilliant, radiant, luminous, lustrous mean shining or glowing with light.

bright implies emitting or reflecting a high degree of light.

brilliant implies intense often sparkling brightness.

radiant stresses the emission or seeming emission of rays of light.

luminous implies emission of steady, suffused, glowing light by reflection or in surrounding darkness.

lustrous stresses an even, rich light from a surface that reflects brightly without glittering.

Examples of bright in a Sentence

The lighting was too bright. a bright room with lots of windows It was a bright, sunny day. The room was decorated in bright colors.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Ex-Arsenal player Héctor Bellerín wore bright pink on the Louis Vuitton catwalk in 2019, while Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga walked for Balenciaga in 2022. Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 7 June 2026 The sun started to shine a little bit brighter. Tracy Smith, CBS News, 7 June 2026 The tragedies and ironies of life can produce some of the brightest light. Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 7 June 2026 The brightest and highest star in the Summer Triangle is Vega. Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bright

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English beorht; akin to Old High German beraht bright, Sanskrit bhrājate it shines

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bright was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bright. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

bright

adjective
ˈbrīt
1
: giving off or filled with much light
2
: very clear or vivid in color
3
: intelligent sense 1b, clever
a bright child
a bright idea
4
: cheerful sense 1
a bright smile
5
: full of promise
a bright future
bright adverb
brightly adverb
brightness noun

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