Synonyms of alight

alight 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in illuminated

filled with much light

we approached the clearing, alight with torches, and observed a reenactment of ancient rites by Druids

Synonyms & Similar Words

• illuminated
• lit
• illumined
• light
• bright
• brightened
• ablaze
• lightsome
• ignited
• highlighted
• shiny
• kindled
• spotlighted
• sunny
• floodlit
• moonlit
• sunlit
• sunshiny

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• darkened
• blackened
• dusk
• dark
• dusky
• unlit
• dimmed
• darkling
• lightless
• pitch-dark
• pitch-black
• darkish
• gloomy
• somber
• obscured
• shadowy
• pale
• tenebrous
• cloudy
• leaden
• murky
• gray
• sunless
• shadowlike
• lightproof

2

as in burning

chiefly British being on fire

the pub, one of London's oldest, was completely alight by the time firefighters arrived

Synonyms & Similar Words

• burning
• blazing
• flaming
• aflame
• lit
• flickering
• ignited
• afire
• smoldering
• kindled
• burned
• fiery
• inflamed
• glowing
• charred
• ablaze
• combusting
• aglow
• conflagrant
• live
• flaring
• searing
• scorching
• scorched
• hot
• sizzling
• broiling
• seared
• roasting
• singed
• red-hot
• piping hot
• scalding
• incinerated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extinguished
• quenched
• dead
• choked
• smothered
• damped
• stamped (out)
• snuffed (out)
• doused
• suffocated

alight

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈlīt 

1

as in to perch

to come to rest after descending from the air

a flock of eight swans circled above, then alighted on the pond

Synonyms & Similar Words

• perch
• land
• light
• roost
• touch down
• settle
• crash-land
• belly-land

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• arise
• take off
• ascend
• climb
• plane
• fly
• wing
• soar
• float
• blast off
• glide
• hang
• hover

2

as in to descend

to come down from something (as a vehicle)

as she alighted from the train, she momentarily lost her footing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• descend
• dismount
• disembark
• light
• get down
• detrain
• deplane

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• embark
• get in
• mount
• board
• climb (aboard)
• entrain
• enplane

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of alight

Adjective

Moe then reportedly set the firework alight while the child was holding on to it and the device erupted in her hand, per the outlet, citing a complaint. — Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

The children are dismembered and penetrated, flayed alive, disemboweled, and their intestines set alight. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026

Verb

The book always came to mind when taking a walk out in the forest and seeing the hypnotic curl of a fern or a bird alighting on a branch inches away from me. — Harry Bennett, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Over the past few months, Ukraine has put Russia on the back foot with strikes that have hit Russia’s oil refining capacity, caused long lines at fuel stations and set commercial logistics centers alight. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026