bright spark

noun

British, informal + disapproving

: a person who says or does something that seems intelligent but is really not

Who's the bright spark who came up with this rotten idea?

Examples of bright spark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 27-year-old was often the lone bright spark for Madrid in games amid the dysfunction around him in a season that began with Xabi Alonso as manager and ended with Alvaro Arbeloa in charge. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

While forward Vinícius Júnior has been a bright spark for the team during the tournament, other players such as Raphinha have struggled to perform. — Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 June 2026

The sales company’s formation could be seen as a bright spark in the troubled global animation sector, with many shows struggling for financing and distribution complicated by direct-to-consumer models. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 May 2026

At some point along this path, at around the time of the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, some bright spark came upon the idea of fermenting alcohol. — Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for bright spark

• ballpark
• benchmark
• birthmark
• daymark
• earmark
• embark
• hallmark
• landmark
• monarch
• postmark
• remark
• skylark