as in glowing
giving off or reflecting much light
the shining moon formed a nice backdrop for our outdoor concert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in beaming
to emit rays of light
the sun appears to shine particularly brightly in summer because that is when it's closest to the Earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polishing
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
the salesman shined his shoes every morning before leaving the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 shining
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The Boston Celtics, in second place in the East without Jayson Tatum this year and Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis traded away, are another shining example.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
The sun is shining, and the rest of your lives are ahead of you.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shining
Adjective
For a brief shining moment, that looked like a good bet, as gas prices rose to nearly $10 per million BTUs in mid-2022.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The Boston Celtics, in second place in the East without Jayson Tatum this year and Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis traded away, are another shining example.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
With Wolders by her side, Hepburn traveled everywhere from Ecuador to Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sudan and Vietnam, shining light on suffering children everywhere.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
The sun is shining, and the rest of your lives are ahead of you.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shining
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shining
Adjective
-
Neither was a glowing example of how to win in the playoffs, but the Sabres deserve full marks for sticking with it and taking over the game.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
At the mid-sized company, any inquiries to the AI agent would come back with glowing comments about the vendor.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Frame after frame highlighting her boy's beaming smile.—
Juli McDonald,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
The Picasso face beaming above a headless classical statue was delightful.—
Wendy Goodman,
Curbed,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
While rivals like the Tacoma and Colorado constantly reinvent themselves, Nissan tends to take the long road by refining, tweaking, and polishing instead of blowing everything up every few years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 May 2026
-
Various owners have taken the reins over the years, but all were committed to preserving the bar’s old-school character rather than polishing, upgrading, or updating it away.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ecstatic catharsis is her métier, and Animal Wisdom is luminous with it.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
-
Included in the exhibition are Sea Idyll (1909), a luminous beach scene; Louis Comfort Tiffany (1911), a portrait of the famed American designer in his Long Island garden; and Señora de Sorolla in a Spanish Mantilla (1902), an intimate portrait of the artist’s wife.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The gleaming cube vase holds the light yet intoxicating scent.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2026
-
From lush velvet upholstery to intricate marquetry to gleaming brass fixtures, each sleeping carriage—including an exclusive carriage-long L’Observatoire designed by French artist and photographer JR that launched in 2025—is packed with immersive details that send travelers back in time.—
Rebekah Peppler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
This is also linked to a change known as Darier’s sign, which is a common finding in mastocytosis, where rubbing a skin lesion causes redness or swelling.—
Suchandrima Bhowmik,
Health,
15 May 2026
-
If one berry develops mold, spores can spread quickly, and moisture, warmth, and friction from the berries rubbing together can accelerate the spread.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Southern Hemisphere has its own polar lights known as the southern lights, or aurora australis, which create a dazzling display of their own.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Dreyer added an assist when the 19-year-old Soma scored his first career goal — a dazzling one — in his 12th appearance for a 3-0 advantage in the 54th minute.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The galaxy's heart shines brightly in the image, with gleaming rays of light radiating from its center while gas and dust swirls around.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
19 May 2026
-
However, sharp or radiating pain, numbness, weakness or symptoms that persist beyond 48 to 72 hours should not be dismissed as ordinary soreness.—
Dr. Kęstutis Braziulis,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shining. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
