as in minute
a very small space of time
in a twinkling, the rabbit had disappeared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in flashing
to shine with light at regular intervals
holiday decorations twinkled in the shop windows
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in glinting
to shoot forth bursts of light
stars twinkling on a crisp September night
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in gleaming
Related Words
Dissimilar 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 twinkling
Jane Bua, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
While some may cringe at the idea of carving pumpkins and hanging twinkling lights on the same day, starting your shopping early could be the secret to enjoying the holiday season more this year.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
Overlooking the twinkling Manhattan skyline at night, Hardeman dropped down on one knee and popped the question to Watkins.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
And when the sun sets, the prairie’s endless horizon really shines—welcoming bright, twinkling stars.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
The white beard, the twinkling eyes behind round spectacles, the mustache curled with wax at its ends are all real, all his.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Lighting up bits of the water, with the city twinkling behind her like millions of eyes, the statue was breathtaking.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
His closing shot is a twinkling funfair diorama with what looks like a cardboard crescent moon, a disconcertingly beautiful image with which to cap an account of traumatic upheaval in his father’s young life.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Icicle Shimmer Collection Included in the Icicle Shimmer Collection is a holly jolly snowman juggling snowflakes, an adorable twinkling candy cane adorned with a big red bow, and a toppling tower of presents waiting to be unwrapped.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The pianist, unable to resist, snuck in a few twinkling flourishes.
—Jane Bua, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
While some may cringe at the idea of carving pumpkins and hanging twinkling lights on the same day, starting your shopping early could be the secret to enjoying the holiday season more this year.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
Overlooking the twinkling Manhattan skyline at night, Hardeman dropped down on one knee and popped the question to Watkins.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
And when the sun sets, the prairie’s endless horizon really shines—welcoming bright, twinkling stars.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
The white beard, the twinkling eyes behind round spectacles, the mustache curled with wax at its ends are all real, all his.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Lighting up bits of the water, with the city twinkling behind her like millions of eyes, the statue was breathtaking.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
His closing shot is a twinkling funfair diorama with what looks like a cardboard crescent moon, a disconcertingly beautiful image with which to cap an account of traumatic upheaval in his father’s young life.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Icicle Shimmer Collection Included in the Icicle Shimmer Collection is a holly jolly snowman juggling snowflakes, an adorable twinkling candy cane adorned with a big red bow, and a toppling tower of presents waiting to be unwrapped.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twinkling
Noun
-
On festival days, shuttles will begin service approximately 60 minutes prior to the gate opening time.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
In the final minute of regulation, a huge catch and run gave Dallas a 28-yard touchdown and the lead with 43 seconds remaining.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
An abundance of kitschy wall decorations (fuzzy dice, fake flowers, party streamers) gleamed under flashing lights, casting the room in lurid shades of pink and green.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The film’s most infamous scene, which might be considered of the original cinematic memes, features Tramell flashing her genitals to officers (and the audience) during an interrogation.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
From a distance, Biosphere 2 emerges from the cacti and creosote of the Sonoran desert like a gleaming oasis, a colony of glass and bright white structures.—
Chris Impey,
The Conversation,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The next revolution in electrification may not arrive as a gleaming battery or a vast mine.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The ridiculously nourishing formula leaves you glistening but never greasy, with the coconut, açai, and brazil nut oils restoring suppleness to a level that pleased our testers as much as its tropical, coconutty scent and mess-free pump.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
What can any of us make of our momentary intimate lives in such an immense world, with equally immense unknowns, mysteries as great as death or the whale, as deep as love or the ocean, as sad and beautiful as a jellyfish torn and glistening in a small fortress of shore rock?—
Natalie Diaz
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Barkov is the heartbeat of the team, their top-line center, a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy given annually to the league’s top defensive forward, a tireless worker, one of the main players who exemplifies the way the Panthers play under Maurice.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
-
At the hospital, Harrison and Johnson were told once again that their fetus still had a heartbeat and there was nothing the hospital could do because of its Catholic affiliation.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Camera flashes burst against the walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, framing Blade Runner–esque vistas of the flickering skyline, a winking reminder that New York City is always wide awake.—
Alex Catarinella,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The San Francisco Giants were assembled in the indoor cage for their pregame hitters’ meeting Saturday afternoon when a flickering TV informed them that the New York Mets had lost for the seventh consecutive time.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, the area, with its rugged coastline, azure sea glinting in the sunlight, and charming villages built right into the cliffs, has lured elite travelers to its picturesque shores since antiquity.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Sep. 2025
-
His hair—blond and swept up like Bowie’s—caught the sun, his gold incisor glinting behind his grin (the upshot of a dental emergency along the Hippie Trail in Goa).—
T. Coraghessan Boyle,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That October night, the aurora borealis dances along the north ridge of Holy Cross, a shimmering violet then green curtain of light blowing in the solar wind.—
Ted Katauskas,
Outside,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The entrance to the presentation was decorated to look as if attendees were emerging from a 20-foot dress of a model positioned on a higher floor holding a shimmering torch and wearing a crown a la the Statue of Liberty.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Twinkling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twinkling. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share