lightning

adjective

Definition of lightningnext
as in rapid
moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed he made a lightning dash for the goal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 lightning Digital assets are moving at hyper-lightning speed. — Manny Khan, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning
  1. rapid
  2. quick
  3. fast
  4. brisk
  5. galloping
  6. swift
Adjective
  • The National Weather Service said rainfall was diminishing in the area but that rapid river rises and flooding remained possible.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The National Weather Service said rainfall was diminishing in the area but rapid river rises and flooding remained possible.
    — Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of rapid
Adjective
  • Step Back OPay took off in 2019 in Nigeria with ambitions to be a super app that offered various features, including motorcycle taxi bookings, food deliveries, and quick loans.
    — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The crusts are shaped using a crimping technique that, along with a quick baking time at high heat, leads to a unique, varied texture, the website states.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of quick
Adjective
  • Desiree Rios | Bloomberg | Getty Images Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack said Monday that tighter monetary policy might be needed to bring down inflation and the central bank should make fast, incremental adjustments.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
  • That will allow for faster and safer repatriation of the turtles that survive.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of fast
Adjective
  • Though the Scandi brand was selling at a brisk pace to her online customers, Stover knew the economics weren’t going to work for the long term if every reorder was saddled with that kind of extra cost.
    — Jessica Binns, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The final product is a rousing, brisk, and genuinely inspiring biopic that never feels like homework.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of brisk
Adjective
  • As his health faded in the last year of his life, Neruda rushed to finish his story, which gives the last chapters of his book a galloping, fragmented quality.
    — Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 June 2021
  • Designed by renowned architect Dominique Perrault, its four stories tilting forward are said to evoke a galloping horse.
    — Rob Hodgetts at Longchamp, CNN, 15 Oct. 2019
Definition of galloping
Adjective
  • The turmoil from Moore’s Michigan conduct continues to linger, 10 months later, but the process of clearing out his office in Schembechler Hall went remarkably swift.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The comments drew swift condemnation from California leaders, even as the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, insisted the president’s remarks had been taken out of context.
    — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of swift

Phrases Containing lightning

Browse Nearby Words

lightness
lightning
lightning rod
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning

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