Synonyms of ray

ray 1 of 2

noun

1

as in beam

a narrow sharply defined line of light radiating from an object

two red eyes reflected in the ray of light from the flashlight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beam
• shaft
• laser
• sunbeam
• spotlight
• moonbeam
• sunburst

2

as in glimmer

a very small amount

the tapping sound ceased, extinguishing the last ray of hope that the trapped miners were still alive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• glimmer
• splash
• speck
• hint
• shred
• sprinkling
• touch
• bit
• little
• particle
• spark
• trace
• tad
• lick
• sliver
• streak
• fleck
• dab
• scintilla
• ounce
• handful
• shadow
• shade
• spatter
• suspicion
• smack
• smidgen
• crumb
• smell
• dram
• ace
• spot
• strain
• portion
• peanuts
• mite
• dose
• dash
• pinch
• drop in the bucket
• nip
• minimum
• drop
• soupçon
• bite
• scruple
• atom
• molecule
• grain
• mote
• driblet
• whit
• dot
• patch
• iota
• snap
• skosh
• syllable
• modicum
• semblance
• taste
• fragment
• vestige
• section
• scattering
• part
• granule
• minim
• tittle
• jot
• nibble
• morsel
• scrap
• splinter
• shard
• smattering
• hoot
• flake
• nubbin
• chip
• flyspeck
• shiver
• tatter
• smatter
• clipping
• paring
• shaving
• shot
• smithereens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quantity
• mass
• abundance
• mountain
• bundle
• loads
• barrel
• deal
• wealth
• bushel
• pile
• lot
• raft
• bucket
• plenty
• stack
• profusion
• peck
• heaps
• volume
• wad
• mess
• fistful
• reams
• surplus
• excess
• lashings
• boatload
• gobs
• slab
• scads
• oodles
• embarrassment
• potful
• passel
• overflow
• surfeit
• overabundance
• bonanza
• superabundance
• chunk
• much
• lump
• oversupply
• superfluity
• hunk
• overage
• overkill
• overmuch

ray

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to shine

to emit rays of light

klieg lights were raying against the nighttime sky at the Hollywood premiere

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shine
• glow
• beam
• flash
• radiate
• gleam
• flare
• glimmer
• flicker
• light
• flame
• shimmer
• illumine
• blaze
• glitter
• glisten
• sparkle
• twinkle
• burn
• glare
• glint
• beat (down)
• fire
• glister
• sheen
• blind
• luminesce
• spangle
• scintillate
• illuminate
• brighten
• coruscate
• lighten
• luster
• irradiate
• blink
• dazzle
• wink
• winkle
• daze
• bedazzle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• darken
• lower
• blacken

2

as in to radiate

to extend outwards from or as if from a central point

laugh wrinkles rayed out from the corners of the old man's eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• radiate
• branch
• flow
• emanate
• stem
• derive
• diverge
• diffuse
• fan (out)
• spread
• dispel
• dissipate
• proceed
• arise
• scatter
• split
• fork
• spring
• disperse
• separate
• divide
• issue
• part
• ramify
• unyoke
• splay
• uncouple
• unlink

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• focus
• meet
• concentrate
• converge
• approach
• funnel
• near
• couple
• link
• connect
• join
• unite
• close in (on)
• center (on)
• centralize

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ray

Noun

The researchers also used X-rays at SLAC’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource to track what was happening inside the electrolyte. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026

Sign Up for Our Free Daily Newsletter NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory just dropped a new cache of photographs that capture the stunning beauty of different types of galaxies across the universe. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026

Verb

Scientists have long grouped sharks together as a natural evolutionary unit, meaning every shark species shares a common ancestor that rays and skates do not. — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

The PlayStation 5 Pro is a more powerful spin on the vanilla PS5, thanks to ray tracing and AI upscaling that give games a visual boost. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026

Phrases Containing ray

• manta ray