glittering

adjective

glit·​ter·​ing ˈgli-tə-riŋ 

1

a

: shining with many bright points of light

Every few days a little glittering aeroplane appeared in the sky among the clouds and the circling hawks.

—Doris Lessing

And where the water had been trickling over and spurting through the dam there was now a glittering wall of icicles …

—C. S. Lewis

b

: shining with strong emotion

… after being misdirected almost consistently, she goes out in glory, with glittering eyes and a lewd smile.

—Pauline Kael

2

: brilliantly or showily impressive : dazzling

a glittering career

… the company today caters a glittering array of premiere social and corporate galas, from Poughkeepsie to Palm Beach.

—Robert Masello

also : superficially attractive or exciting

… they left behind the glittering social life of Orlando …

—Douglas Frantz et al.

glitteringly

ˈgli-tə-riŋ-lē 

adverb

His libretto is very bare, a skeleton of short, clear phrases on to which he has grafted slivers of music glitteringly alive thanks to his fine ear for sound.

—Richard Fairman

Examples of glittering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet as the film wends its way through the narrow streets, harbors and glittering waters of Spain’s salty Galician coastline, immersing itself in chaotic gatherings of family and community, the title’s spiritual aspect takes on a rueful irony. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 May 2025

DeChambeau’s most glittering past statistics at Quail Hollow come on the greens. —Justin Ray, New York Times, 14 May 2025

Outside of the emotional rollercoaster of Keisha and Justin’s romance, the series offers generous and glittering depictions of family, friendship and young adulthood. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 May 2025

Leave it to Cartier to make the night’s most glittering party feel like an intimate encore. —Ian Malone, Vogue, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for glittering

• littering
• skittering
• twittering