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

Brown will over the course of eight episodes shine alight on some of the absurd health experiences that play a significant role in women’s lives. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

Two cars were set alight outside the bar during the shooting. — Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Verb

Once a recipe is chosen, clientele relax; zoning out in nearby chairs as glass tubes alight and the machine purrs from within. — Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Foliage-seekers can alight in the town of Winona, Minnesota, located on an island in the Mississippi—where visitors hike, kayak, or fish amid craggy river bluffs carpeted with ever-changing treetops. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026