TWINKLE Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

twinkle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of twinkle

as in minute

a very small space of time in just a twinkle, the shooting star was gone

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

twinkle

2 of 2

verb

ˈtwiŋ-kəl

as in to flash

to shine with light at regular intervals holiday decorations twinkled in the shop windows

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to gleam

to shoot forth bursts of light stars twinkling on a crisp September night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 twinkle

Noun

Perhaps there was not quite the same twinkle in their eyes or pep in their step. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 10 June 2026 Treble synths twinkle above bass tones, illuminating their gentle currents. — Raphael Helfand, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026

Verb

As the plane made its descent, he was struck by the sight of hundreds of swimming pools twinkling blue in the sunshine. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 20 June 2026 Made entirely of glass, Bloom can be enjoyed no matter the forecast, but there is something particularly special about sipping a glass of Champagne as the garden’s string lights twinkle overhead. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for twinkle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for twinkle

Noun

The flight, which was originally slated for last week but was delayed, ended after an hour and five minutes.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 25 July 2026
But Linda Ullmark’s last-minute goal turned a potential scoreless draw into a frustrating loss at Shell Energy Stadium.

— Staff report, Mercury News, 25 July 2026

Definition of minute

Verb

Then, alarms blare as lights flash from white to green to red.

— Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2026
In the 1990s, Tom Ford, during his tenure at Gucci, made the buttocks the center of attention with the help of a visibly flashing thong, while the Y2K trends of the ’00s targeted the midsection and declared crop tops socially acceptable.

— Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026

Definition of flash

Verb

Virginia Bender The areas where the Old West doesn’t get so wild are the big functional kitchen with its gleaming stainless steel range, and the bathrooms, modern and sleek with marble to match the best hotel suites.

— Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
In Atlanta, Mayra Martinez and I walked the Beltline — the gleaming greenway everyone points to as proof of an economic boom.

— Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Definition of gleam

Noun

The latter is located in the center of the ship and truly serves as the heartbeat of Beyond.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
Lawmakers and local leaders must stand up for these values and invest in the public schools that are the heartbeat of our communities.

— Stephanie Vanos, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026

Definition of heartbeat

Verb

Their disparate sonic elements form a dissonant but cohesive whole, wisps of trumpet and electronic woodwinds flashing by as quickly as flickering subway car lights.

— Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026
Approximately the size of a dining-room table, the canvas has fifteen people distributed along a set of stairs in front of a mosque, all of them flickering with very different kinds of life.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Definition of flicker

Verb

Working with Henning Larsen Architects, the Icelandic-Danish artist Ólafur Elíasson designed the building’s sparkling glass façade, its shapes mirroring the hexagonal basalt formations found on Iceland’s coast.

— Carolyn Heller, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Celebrities with reach and personal reasons for going alcohol-free are now designing sparkling aperitifs, functional tonics, craft beers, wines and mixers built to sit comfortably next to anything a bartender pours.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2026

Definition of sparkle

Noun

Now, each artist has to read a prompt, sketch it, and surrender the sketch to Kaylin, who has 10 seconds to describe it to the performer, via what seems like a terrible, hard-to-hear phone connection.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 28 July 2026
Doing any of those things in 15 seconds where classical computing takes an hour is huge, mostly because many of these optimization problems are constantly changing minute by minute.

— John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of second

Verb

The air is perfectly warm, the sunshine glints on the water, happy people pass by and wave.

— Kristy Woodson Harvey, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
After spending some time by the pool, a semi-Olympic lined with emerald and malachite mosaics that glinted in the soft, ambient light, followed by a quick trip to the sauna, I was escorted to my treatment room, about a half-flight of stairs up, where I was met by Marcia, my therapist.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026

Definition of glint

Browse Nearby Words

twining

twinkle

twinkled

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Twinkle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twinkle. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of twinkle

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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