bright

adjective

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\ ˈbrīt

Definition of bright

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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 brightest star of the opera

3 : beautiful

4 : of high saturation or lightness bright colors

5a : 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

bright

noun

Definition of bright (Entry 2 of 3)

: a color of high saturation : a bright (see bright entry 1 sense 4) color —usually used in plural rich earth tones and crisp brights— Patricia Peterson

Bright

biographical name

\ ˈbrīt

Definition of Bright (Entry 3 of 3)

John 1811–1889 English orator and statesman

Other Words from bright Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about bright

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Choose the Right Synonym for bright

Adjective

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

Adjective 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: Adjective One bright spot has been Fletcher, who has four defensive runs saved, most among second basemen. — Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, "Angels thought they’d improve on defense; statistics show otherwise," 3 May 2021 Meanwhile, the smaller Bronco Sport quietly arrived on the scene late last year and immediately delivered a bright spot amid grisly fourth quarter sales. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "2021 Bronco Sport SUV crushes its crash test, receives perfect score," 3 May 2021 Trevor Rogers has been a bright spot, going 3-1 with a 1.29 ERA in April. — Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, "MLB power rankings: Brewers, Dodgers in dead-heat at No. 1 after hard-fought series," 3 May 2021 Cost hikes and disruptions in the region’s lumber supply chain are now shuddering across retailers, wholesalers and builders in Utah’s construction sector, which has been bright spot in retaining and expanding jobs during the pandemic. — The Salt Lake Tribune, "Why does lumber to build new homes in Utah cost $35K more than a year ago? Blame the coronavirus.," 3 May 2021 If Nestlé can deliver on its plan for Bountiful, supplements could emerge as another bright spot in the portfolio, alongside pet care and coffee. — Carol Ryan, WSJ, "Nestlé’s New Growth Pill Needs Extra Ingredients," 30 Apr. 2021 Another bright spot is business investment in information technology. — New York Times, "The Economy Is (Almost) Back. It Is Looking Different Than It Used To.," 29 Apr. 2021 The housing market has been the economy’s biggest bright spot during the pandemic as Americans stuck at home have bought bigger houses, often fleeing dense urban areas for the suburbs. — USA Today, "How U.S. economy has performed during Biden's first 100 days — in 7 charts," 28 Apr. 2021 All regions were profitable, and the United Kingdom was a bright spot -- pulling in more than $1 billion in pre-tax profit. — Jessie Yeung, CNN, "China offered Covid aid to India while US dragged its feet, but Delhi isn't that keen," 28 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun This fall, Garden & Gun shined a bright on Smoke-A-Holics in a feature on Derrick, his technique and his passion. — Dallas News, "Doughnuts, catfish and barbecue: 3 beloved Black-owned restaurants in Fort Worth," 30 Nov. 2020 Executive chef Brian Archibald leads the culinary team of the 5,000-square-foot bright, airy restaurant by Fig & Olive restaurateur Laurent Halasz. — Shaena Montanari, The Arizona Republic, "Scottsdale has a swanky new destination for French comfort fare. Here's what to order," 24 Sep. 2020 The crowd remained enthusiastic on the bright and cloudless 90-degree evening, cheering, clapping and singing throughout the service. — Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'We're trying to fix it': People in Kenosha turn to faith, art to start healing from violent, destructive week," 28 Aug. 2020 More than just a tiny blip on your Instagram feed, the bright, feel-good manicure now has a major celebrity endorsement. — Megan Decker, refinery29.com, "Kylie Jenner Just Flashed Her “Quarantine Nails” On Instagram," 30 Apr. 2020 Wear your neon brights and whites and dance out in color. — Stefania Lugliand Meghan Sorensen, BostonGlobe.com, "Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrating a 100-year-old theater," 8 Jan. 2020 Customers had come in droves to sit beneath the bright suspended lights and dine on fried whiting or catfish strips, shrimp baskets or chicken wings. — Derek M. Norman, New York Times, "Fried Fish. Rave Reviews. Then Someone Messed With the Gas Lines.," 8 Jan. 2020 Unconventional brides may go for something surprising and fresh, like NARS' Pastorale (a rose-gold update on your favorite light pink shade) or Chanel’s Espadrilles (a fiery retro orange-red reminiscent of your favorite Palm Beach brights). — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "The Best Nail Polish Colors for Brides on Their Wedding Day," 21 May 2019 Oregon coast wild coho are slightly improved, as are Sacramento River fall chinook and Columbia River upriver brights. — oregonlive, "Bill Monroe: Complex set of sport salmon fishing seasons proposed," 18 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bright.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for bright

Adjective

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

Noun

noun derivative of bright entry 1

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Last Updated

7 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Bright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bright. Accessed 9 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for bright

bright

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of bright

: producing a lot of light : filled with light

: having a very light and strong color

: able to learn things quickly

See the full definition for bright in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bright

adjective

\ ˈbrīt

Kids Definition of bright

1 : giving off or filled with much light a bright fire a bright room

2 : very clear or vivid in color a bright red

3 : intelligent sense 1, clever a bright child

4 : cheerful sense 1 a bright smile

5 : likely to be good a bright future

Choose the Right Synonym for bright

bright, radiant, and brilliant mean shining or glowing with light. bright can be used of something that produces or reflects a great amount of light. Bright stars shone overhead. A bright full moon filled the sky. radiant is more often used of something that sends forth its own light. The sun is a radiant body. brilliant is used of something that shines with a sparkling or flashing light. The case was filled with brilliant diamonds.