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: the attribute of light-source colors by which emitted light is ordered continuously from light to dark in correlation with its intensity compare hue sense 2c, lightness entry 1 sense 2a, saturation sense 4
Synonyms
Examples of brightness in a Sentence
the brightness of the sunshine made me squint after an afternoon spent in a darkened movie theater
Recent Examples on the Web
During totality, a thin circle of brightness rings the moon.
—
Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
The color-changing smart bulbs work with all major smart home platforms and light up homes with 1,100 lumens of brightness.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Delightfully fresh and usually raw, salsas provide brightness and zing to an assortment of meats, fish, vegetables and grains.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Out via Sony Music Germany/RCA Records, the song oscillates between dark and light, thumping along on a heavy bassline and building to moments of brightness rendered from Roosevelt’s melodies.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
These regions emit an extraordinary range of brightness, spanning from radio waves to X-rays.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
This will take measurements of the brightness of the light.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Mar. 2024
The sunrise alarm function works just like other clocks on this list to gradually increase in brightness over time.
—Adria Greenhauff, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Mar. 2024
The star system, located 3,000 light-years from Earth and typically too dim to be seen with the naked eye, is expected to reach a level of brightness similar to that of Polaris, or the North Star.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
The color-changing smart bulbs work with all major smart home platforms and light up homes with 1,100 lumens of brightness.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Delightfully fresh and usually raw, salsas provide brightness and zing to an assortment of meats, fish, vegetables and grains.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Out via Sony Music Germany/RCA Records, the song oscillates between dark and light, thumping along on a heavy bassline and building to moments of brightness rendered from Roosevelt’s melodies.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
These regions emit an extraordinary range of brightness, spanning from radio waves to X-rays.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
This will take measurements of the brightness of the light.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Mar. 2024
The sunrise alarm function works just like other clocks on this list to gradually increase in brightness over time.
—Adria Greenhauff, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Mar. 2024
The star system, located 3,000 light-years from Earth and typically too dim to be seen with the naked eye, is expected to reach a level of brightness similar to that of Polaris, or the North Star.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brightness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near brightness
Cite this Entry
“Brightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brightness. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
brightness
noun
bright·ness
ˈbrīt-nəs 
: the one of the three psychological dimensions of color perception by which visual stimuli are ordered continuously from light to dark and which is correlated with light intensity compare hue, saturation sense 4a
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