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brightness

noun

ˈbrīt-nəs How to pronounce brightness (audio)
Definition of brightnessnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brightness This allows for high-brightness laser output, which could translate to respectable daytime viewing so long as streaming sunlight doesn't crash the viewing party. — New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026 Taste and season the salad generously before serving, and don’t skip the lemon wedges for an extra hit of brightness. — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026 Using a technique called principal component analysis, the team examined subtle brightness changes taking place as SIMP 0136 rotated, distilling down a complicated dataset into a few patterns responsible for most of the variation. — Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026 About 55 to 65 feet (17 to 20 meters) in size, the Chelyabinsk asteroid exploded in the air, releasing 20 to 30 times more energy than that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, and generating brightness greater than the sun. — CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for brightness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brightness
  1. brilliancy
  2. brilliance
  3. lightness
  4. illumination
  5. luminosity
Noun
  • Greatest brilliancy marks the sweet spot between the two, when Venus' apparent size and shrinking phase combine to give us the greatest apparent area of illuminated Venus in our sky.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The result is an incredible repository of vexations, bafflements, witticisms, and brilliancies.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Definition of brilliancy
Noun
  • Her committed advocacy is well known; her brilliance in recognizing a constellation of facts and weaving them together to find solutions is another part of her legacy.
    — Susan Daria Landino, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Despite Primo’s brilliance in the kitchen and Secondo’s business savvy, the restaurant is failing, one reason being Primo’s refusal to compromise on his culinary perfectionism.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of brilliance
Noun
  • Bottega Veneta had a beautiful balance between craftsmanship, texture and lightness, with pieces that felt special without becoming overcomplicated.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Bellotti hit his stride with tailoring that gave structure and lightness to the jackets, dresses and skirts in all the right places.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of lightness
Noun
  • In Comfort, for example, digital displays take a backseat only presenting necessary intel, while Refresh fittingly bolsters interior air management and illumination.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Militarnyi reports that the Zorelit v5 can be equipped with an automatic target detection and illumination system using AI algorithms.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of illumination
Noun
  • A matter of distance and brightness The stars that compose the Triangle — Vega, Altair, and Deneb — lie at very unequal distances from us, so their apparent brightness can give a misleading impression of their true luminosity.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In June, astronomers noted a surface eruption increased the comet’s luminosity by almost 10 magnitudes—making it around 8,000 times brighter than usual.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of luminosity

Browse Nearby Words

brightly
brightness
brigs
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Cite this Entry

“Brightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brightness. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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