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 22-year-old is not expected to be back this week but with United’s season still alive in Europe there is the prospect of a player who was a bright spark in Ruben Amorim’s early weeks in charge still having a decisive say this campaign.
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Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The equalizer on 84 minutes set up a tense additional half hour of extra half time, with Fermin Lopez a bright spark for the Catalans who looked dangerous while Gavi did his best to contain an outstanding Jude Bellingham.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Following Saturday’s night’s news that joint top-scorer Amad — a rare bright spark amid the gloom — could miss the rest of the season, United face an injury crisis going into today’s game away to Tottenham Hotspur (kick-off 4.30pm GMT; 11:30am ET), who have also seen the injuries pile up.
—Tom Burrows, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
Alcaraz excites on debut At least new signing Carlos Alcaraz was a bright spark.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
His Spurs side might have managed a victory over league-leaders Liverpool in their own Carabao Cup first leg, but that was a rare bright spark in recent weeks.
—Darren Richman, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
The training of a young bright spark is a traditional tale.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024
Rutter impressed in pre-season and was a bright spark in the opening day draw with Portsmouth.
—David Ornstein, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024
There was a bright spark in the game, though, coming in the form of Premier League new boy Joshua Zirkzee.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 17 Aug. 2024
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Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The equalizer on 84 minutes set up a tense additional half hour of extra half time, with Fermin Lopez a bright spark for the Catalans who looked dangerous while Gavi did his best to contain an outstanding Jude Bellingham.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Following Saturday’s night’s news that joint top-scorer Amad — a rare bright spark amid the gloom — could miss the rest of the season, United face an injury crisis going into today’s game away to Tottenham Hotspur (kick-off 4.30pm GMT; 11:30am ET), who have also seen the injuries pile up.
—Tom Burrows, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
Alcaraz excites on debut At least new signing Carlos Alcaraz was a bright spark.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
His Spurs side might have managed a victory over league-leaders Liverpool in their own Carabao Cup first leg, but that was a rare bright spark in recent weeks.
—Darren Richman, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
The training of a young bright spark is a traditional tale.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024
Rutter impressed in pre-season and was a bright spark in the opening day draw with Portsmouth.
—David Ornstein, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024
There was a bright spark in the game, though, coming in the form of Premier League new boy Joshua Zirkzee.
—Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 17 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Bright spark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bright%20spark. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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