1
as in bright
in a manner marked by the shining or reflecting of much light
the light glowed brightly
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheerfully
in a cheerful or happy manner
"And how are we today?" the nurse asked brightly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in colorfully
in a manner that is colorful and tends to arouse gaiety
parade marchers carrying brightly painted banners
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brightly
Their container, a rectangular cell, can grow to virtually any length and width — but must allow chloroplasts to pack when lights are dim and hide along its walls when light shines brightly.
—
Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2026
Annual With succulent foliage and large, brightly colored blooms, portulaca or moss rose makes a fabulous selection for containers in hot, dry sites.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
The stars shone brightly in the dark sky.
—Robin Romm, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
Some are abstracts, simple and colorful design that stand out brightly from the more complex or realistic pieces.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
Steal your gaze away from the moon and look to the west to find Jupiter low on the western horizon, with Venus glowing brightly to its upper left in the golden glow of the setting sun.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 1 May 2026
That connection is memorialized through Lena’s Garden, a permanent Chihuly installation that spans the ceiling of the cafe with hundreds of brightly colored glass elements.
—Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 30 Apr. 2026
At that moment, the sun began to shine brightly, the wind picked up and the curtain fluttered violently.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 26 Apr. 2026
At the center of it all is Jamie Dornan in featherlight, brightly hued, warm-weather essentials.
—Jennifer Noyes, Air Mail, 25 Apr. 2026
Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2026
Annual With succulent foliage and large, brightly colored blooms, portulaca or moss rose makes a fabulous selection for containers in hot, dry sites.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
The stars shone brightly in the dark sky.
—Robin Romm, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
Some are abstracts, simple and colorful design that stand out brightly from the more complex or realistic pieces.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
Steal your gaze away from the moon and look to the west to find Jupiter low on the western horizon, with Venus glowing brightly to its upper left in the golden glow of the setting sun.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 1 May 2026
That connection is memorialized through Lena’s Garden, a permanent Chihuly installation that spans the ceiling of the cafe with hundreds of brightly colored glass elements.
—Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 30 Apr. 2026
At that moment, the sun began to shine brightly, the wind picked up and the curtain fluttered violently.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 26 Apr. 2026
At the center of it all is Jamie Dornan in featherlight, brightly hued, warm-weather essentials.
—Jennifer Noyes, Air Mail, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brightly
Adverb
-
Indeed, Calvin is cheerfully lobotomizing a snowman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In Atlanta, my hometown airport, cheerfully marketed as the world’s busiest, had descended into organized chaos.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The characters are colorfully dressed but also comfortably.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
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Sean McGinley’s sound design ties it all together with atmospheric cues that bridge the eras as do Jamie Godwin’s colorfully gorgeous projection designs.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Others are luminously, freakishly beautiful, in ways that seem designed to appeal to beings from other solar systems.—
Rosa Lyster,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Bogdanovich’s breakthrough came in 1971 with The Last Picture Show, an ensemble drama about growing up in a small Texas town, sensitively told and luminously shot.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Each time, the friends put down their cans of Miller Lite and happily obliged.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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If any kind of Bo-Sean disconnect deepens, and the Penners don’t pick a side, history will happily do it for them.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brightly. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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