as in brilliancy
the quality or state of having or giving off light
the brightness of the sunshine made me squint after an afternoon spent in a darkened movie theater
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Recent Examples of brightness
The goal was to deliver consistent image quality rather than trade resolution for brightness.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
Cake mix, lemon pie filling, and butter come together in the oven to create crisp edges and a gooey, citrusy center, while a little cream cheese in the mix rounds out the lemon’s brightness.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
The bittersweet Italian liqueur Amaro Nonino provides herbaceous orange notes, and it’s given both brightness and a surprising amount of charm from a couple dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2026
These accoutrements really make the dish sing by adding flavor and balance to each bite, with the cheese enhancing the savory nuttiness of the brown butter and the lemon’s brightness keeping it from feeling too heavy.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brightness
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
Cake mix, lemon pie filling, and butter come together in the oven to create crisp edges and a gooey, citrusy center, while a little cream cheese in the mix rounds out the lemon’s brightness.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
The bittersweet Italian liqueur Amaro Nonino provides herbaceous orange notes, and it’s given both brightness and a surprising amount of charm from a couple dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2026
These accoutrements really make the dish sing by adding flavor and balance to each bite, with the cheese enhancing the savory nuttiness of the brown butter and the lemon’s brightness keeping it from feeling too heavy.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brightness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brightness
Noun
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So, astronomers have come up with a compromise regarding the geometry of the sun's illumination angle on Venus' disk versus its distance from Earth to determine the time of Venus' greatest brilliancy.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Family circles will have wrapped themselves in the holy pleasures of the great occasion, and everywhere the grand old holiday will have been introduced with all the majesty and brilliancy which clings around the hallowed name of Christmas.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American-Statesman,
23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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As Amadeus’ brilliance continues to flourish in spite of his personal demons, a questionable reputation and skepticism from the conservative court, Salieri becomes increasingly tormented by this apparent divine gift.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
15 Jan. 2026
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With brilliance and connection at her core, the ship was created to give all guests the freedom to vacation their very own way – offering the chance to exhale, connect and effortlessly escape into the moment.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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To assess the roots, carefully remove the plant from its pot and examine them for firmness, lightness, and suppleness.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
8 Jan. 2026
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But with Rawayana, depth is always masked by lightness.—
Leonor C. Suárez,
Rolling Stone,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The rooms and suites still don’t have overhead illumination, and during times without natural daylight, the rooms can feel dark.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Jan. 2026
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January’s wolf supermoon, the first full moon of 2026, will light up the sky tonight and reach peak illumination early Saturday morning.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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When an orbiting planet crosses the Earth-facing side of its parent star, a bit of the light from the star is temporarily blocked, reducing overall luminosity by a tiny but detectable amount.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
2 Jan. 2026
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The luminosity of the supermoon, which appears brighter and fuller than a regular full moon due to its proximity to Earth, may prevent visibility of the Quadrantid meteor shower.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brightness. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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