What does "alight" mean?
To make less heavy; to lighten; to alleviate, to relieve.
Alight
/əˈlaɪt/ adj, adv, verb
adj, adv, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To make less heavy; to lighten; to alleviate, to relieve.
- Grammar: alight is listed as adj, adv, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: light, perch, ablaze, ablaze.
- Useful contrasts: public institution board, board, boards.
- Usage evidence: Red sky in morning; global warming. Red sky at night, reactor's alight.
How to use "alight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "alight" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "alight" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "alight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "alight" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "alight" is acting as adj, adv, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "light" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "alight", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To make less heavy; to lighten; to alleviate, to relieve. also, figuratively, obsolete, transitive
- 2 To cast light on (something); to illuminate, to light up. also, archaic, figuratively, transitive
- 3 come down wordnet
- 4 Often followed by from or off: to get off an animal which one has been riding; to dismount; to descend or exit from a vehicle; hence, to complete one's journey; to stop. intransitive
"He alighted from his horse."
- 5 To set light to (something); to set (something) on fire; to ignite, to light. also, archaic, figuratively, transitive
"The officer hauing by this time alighted his lampe, entred into the roome to ſee him, vvhom he accounted to be dead, […]"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 to come to rest, settle wordnet
- 7 Often followed by at, on, or upon: of something aloft: to descend and settle; to land, to lodge, to rest. also, figuratively, intransitive
"A flying bird alights upon a tree."
- 8 To come down or go down; to descend. archaic, intransitive
- 9 Often followed by on or upon: of a blow, something thrown, etc.: to land heavily. archaic, intransitive
"But ſtorms of Stones, from the proud Temple's height, / Pour down, and on our batter'd Helms alight."
- 10 Often followed by on or upon: to find by accident; to chance upon, to come upon. figuratively, intransitive
- 11 To arrive. intransitive, obsolete
"Madam, heres a pretty hanſome ſtripling, nevv alight, / Enquires for Don Antonio."
Adjective
- 1 Burning, lit, on fire. also, archaic, figuratively, not-comparable, transitive
"The burning embers and the dry wind quickly set the whole neighbourhood alight."
- 2 Often followed by with: shining with light; luminous, radiant; also, brightly coloured; vivid. also, archaic, figuratively, not-comparable, transitive
- 3 Often followed by with: shining with light; luminous, radiant; also, brightly coloured; vivid.; Of an electrical light source: switched on and emitting light. also, archaic, figuratively, not-comparable, transitive
- 4 Aglow with activity or emotion. also, archaic, figuratively, not-comparable, transitive
"Her face was alight with happiness."
Adjective
- 1 lighted up by or as by fire or flame wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Chiefly in set alight: in flames, on fire; aflame. also, archaic, figuratively, not-comparable, transitive
"Each chapel had its saintly shrine, hung around with offerings; its picture above the altar, although closely veiled, if by any painter of renown; and its hallowed tapers, burning continually, to set alight the devotion of the worshippers."
Example
"Red sky in morning; global warming. Red sky at night, reactor's alight."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "alight"?
Common synonyms include: light, perch, ablaze, ablaze, ablaze, afire.
How do you use "alight" in a sentence?
Red sky in morning; global warming. Red sky at night, reactor's alight.
How do you pronounce "alight"?
Pronounced /əˈlaɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English alighten (“to descend from a place: to dismount, get off; to descend to a place: to arrive or stop (at a place); to land; to drop; to attack; of lightning: to strike; to leap on to, mount; to descend in rank; to cause (someone) to lose rank; to come forth, spring from; to alleviate, relieve; (Christianity) of Jesus: to come down to earth from heaven, become incarnate; to descend (to hell); of the Holy Spirit, angels, miracles, etc.: to descend (from heaven); to descend (upon someone); to appear in a place”) [and other forms], from a merger of: * Old English ālīhtan (“to alight, dismount”), from ā- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + līhtan, līehtan (“to descend, alight, light; to make easy or light, alleviate, lighten, relieve”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- (“not heavy, light”); and * Old English ġelīhtan (“to descend; to come down, dismount; to make easy or light, alleviate, lighten, relieve”), from ġe- (intensifying prefix, attached to verbs to indicate completeness or perfection) + līhtan, līehtan (see above). The English word is analyzable as a- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + light (“to ease, lighten; to take off; to unload; to dismount; (archaic) to come down, land; to dismount”). Cognates * Middle Low German erlichten (“to lighten”) * Old High German gilīhten (“to make less heavy, lighten”) (Middle High German gelīhten); Old High German irlīhten (“to alleviate”) (Middle High German erlīhten, modern German erleichten)
Etymology 2
The verb is probably derived partly: * from Middle English alighten (“to kindle, light, set on fire; to begin burning; to become bright, shine; to arouse, rouse, stir; (figuratively) to enlighten spiritually, illuminate”) [and other forms], from Old English ālīhtan, ālȳhtan (“to light up; enlighten”) (perhaps modelled after Latin illūmināre, the present active infinitive of illūminō (“to brighten, illuminate, light up”)), from ā- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + līhtan, līehtan (“to glow, to shine; to illuminate, to light”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“to see; to shine; bright”)); and * from Middle English onlighten (“to cause (something) to shine; to clarify; (figuratively) to enlighten spiritually”) [and other forms], from Old English onlīhtan, a variant of inlīhtan (“to give light to, brighten, illuminate; to cause to shine; to shine; (figuratively) to give clear sight; to clear a mental fog, enlighten”), from Proto-Germanic *inliuhtijaną (“to enlighten, illumine”), from *in (“in; into”) + *liuhtijaną (“to give light, shine”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-; see above); and * from later uses of alight (adjective). The English word is analysable as a- (prefix meaning ‘away, from, off, out’) + light (“to start (a fire); to burn, set fire to; to become ignited, take fire; to provide light, illuminate; to show the way by means of a light”). The adjective and adverb are derived from Late Middle English alight (adjective) [and other forms], from Old English ālīht, ālȳht, a past participle form of Old English ālīhtan, ālȳhtan (verb) (see above); but have also been subsequently interpreted as a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’, used to show a condition, manner, or state) + light (“not dark or obscure, bright, clear; highly luminous”). Cognates * German erleuchten (“to light up, illuminate”)