bright

[brahyt] /braɪt/
adjective, brighter, brightest.
1.
radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining:
The bright coins shone in the gloom.
2.
filled with light:
The room was bright with sunshine.
3.
vivid or brilliant:
a bright red dress; bright passages of prose.
4.
quick-witted or intelligent:
They gave promotions to bright employees.
5.
clever or witty, as a remark:
Bright comments enlivened the conversation.
6.
animated; lively; cheerful:
a bright and happy child; a bird's bright song.
7.
characterized by happiness or gladness:
All the world seems bright and gay.
8.
favorable or auspicious:
bright prospects for the future.
9.
radiant or splendid:
the bright pageantry of court.
10.
illustrious or glorious, as an era:
the bright days of the Renaissance.
11.
clear or translucent, as liquid:
The bright water trickled through his fingers.
12.
having a glossy, glazed, or polished finish.
13.
intensely clear and vibrant in tone or quality; clear and sharp in sound:
a bright singing voice.
noun
14.
brights.
  1. the automobile or truck headlights used for driving at night or under conditions of decreased visibility.
  2. the brighter level of intensity of these lights, usually deflected upward by switching on a bulb in the headlamp that strikes the lens at a different angle.
15.
flue-cured, light-hued tobacco.
16.
an artist's paintbrush having short, square-edged bristles.
17.
Archaic. brightness; splendor.
adverb, brighter, brightest.
18.
in a bright manner; brightly.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English; Old English breht, beorht; cognate with Gothic bairht(s), Old Saxon ber(a)ht, Old High German beraht, Old Norse bjartr; Welsh berth splendid (< *berkto-); akin to Latin flagrāre to blaze (see flagrant), Albanian (i) bardhë white, Sanskrit bhrājate(it) shines
Related forms
brightish, adjective
brightly, adverb
overbright, adjective
overbrightly, adverb
overbrightness, noun
superbright, adjective
unbright, adjective
unbrightly, adverb
unbrightness, noun
Synonyms
1. refulgent, effulgent, lustrous, lucent, beaming, lambent. Bright, brilliant, radiant, shining refer to that which gives forth, is filled with, or reflects light. Bright suggests the general idea: bright flare, stars, mirror. Brilliant implies a strong, unusual, or sparkling brightness, often changeful or varied and too strong to be agreeable: brilliant sunlight. Radiant implies the pouring forth of steady rays of light, especially as are agreeable to the eyes: a radiant face. Shining implies giving forth or reflecting a strong or steady light: shining eyes. 4. keen, discerning, sharp, sharp-witted, ingenious, clever. 8. promising, encouraging.
Antonyms
1. dull, dim.
British Dictionary definitions for brights

brights

/braɪts/
plural noun
1.
(US) the high beam of the headlights of a motor vehicle

bright

/braɪt/
adjective
1.
emitting or reflecting much light; shining
2.
(of colours) intense or vivid
3.
full of promise: a bright future
4.
full of animation; cheerful: a bright face
5.
(informal) quick witted or clever: a bright child
6.
magnificent; glorious: a bright victory
7.
polished; glistening: a bright finish
8.
(of the voice) distinct and clear
9.
(of a liquid) translucent and clear: a circle of bright water
10.
bright and early, very early in the morning
noun
11.
a thin flat paintbrush with a straight sharp edge used for highlighting in oil painting
12.
(poetic) brightness or splendour: the bright of his armour
adverb
13.
brightly: the fire was burning bright
See also brights
Derived Forms
brightly, adverb
Word Origin
Old English beorht; related to Old Norse bjartr, Gothic bairhts clear, Old High German beraht, Norwegian bjerk, Swedish brokig pied

Bright

/braɪt/
noun
1.
John. 1811–89, British liberal statesman, economist, and advocate of free trade: with Richard Cobden he led the Anti-Corn-Law League (1838–46)
Word Origin and History for brights

bright

adj.

Old English bryht, by metathesis from beorht "bright; splendid; clear-sounding; beautiful; divine," from Proto-Germanic *berhta- "bright" (cf. Old Saxon berht, Old Norse bjartr, Old High German beraht, Gothic bairhts "bright"), from PIE root *bhereg- "to gleam, white" (cf. Sanskrit bhrajate "shines, glitters," Lithuanian breksta "to dawn," Welsh berth "bright, beautiful"). Meaning "quick-witted" is from 1741.

Slang definitions & phrases for brights

brights

noun

The bright or upper-beam headlights of a car: into the brights of an oncoming car (1970s+)


bright

noun

Day; the daytime (1930s+ Black)


Idioms and Phrases with brights

bright

also see:
look on the bright side