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Bright

//bɹaɪt// adj, adv, name, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective

1
Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant.
"The sky was remarkably bright and blue on that beautiful summer day."
2
Of light: brilliant, intense.
"Could you please dim the light? It’s far too bright."
3
Of an object, surface, etc.: reflecting much light; having a high lustre; gleaming, shiny.
4
Of a place: not dark; well-lit.
"It was said that the Irish whom [Louis de Duras, 2nd Earl of] Feversham had let loose were marching on London and massacring every man, woman, and child on the road. At one in the morning the drums of the militia beat to arms. […] Before two the capital wore a face of stern preparedness which might well have daunted a real enemy, if such an enemy had been approaching. Candles were blazing at all the windows. The public places were as bright as at noonday."
5
Of climate or weather: not cloudy or gloomy; fair; also, of a period of time, the sky, etc.: characterized by much sunshine and good weather.
"[H]e felt the influence of the bright sky, and looked up smiling into its deep unfathomable blue."

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6
Clearly apparent; conspicuous. figuratively
"They gathered soberly in the farthest recess of the ward and gossiped about him in malicious, offended undertones, rebelling against his presence as a ghastly imposition and resenting him malevolently for the nauseating truth of which he was bright reminder."
7
Of a colour: not muted or pale; bold, brilliant, vivid. figuratively
"Her step was quick; her eye piercing, and of the brightest blue; […]"
8
Of an object, surface, etc.: having vivid colour(s); colourful. figuratively
"The orange and blue walls of the sitting room were much brighter than the dull grey walls of the kitchen."
9
Of a musical instrument, sound, or a voice: clearly audible; clear, resounding, and often high-pitched. figuratively
10
Of a room or other place: having acoustic qualities that tend to cause much echoing or reverberation of sound, particularly at high frequencies. figuratively
11
Of a scent or taste: having an agreeable balance of sweet and sour, often with associations of coolness, freshness, and sometimes aromaticity. figuratively
12
Of a scent or taste: not bland or mild; bold, sharp, strong. figuratively
13
Of a substance: clear, transparent; also, pure, unadulterated; (specifically) of wine: free of suspended particles; not cloudy; fine. figuratively
"From […] the brighteſt Wines / He'd turn abhorrent."
14
Glorious; illustrious. figuratively
"And 'twas the worſt, if not the only ſtain, / I'th' brighteſt Annals of a Female Reign."
15
In good spirits; happy, optimistic. figuratively
"I woke up today feeling so bright that I decided to have a little dance."
16
Of the face or eyes, or a smile: showing happiness or hopefulness; cheerful, lively. figuratively
"Bright eyes / Burning like fire / Bright eyes / How can you close and fail? / How can the light that burned so brightly / Suddenly burn so pale? / Bright eyes"
17
Of a person: lively, vivacious. figuratively
"Come on: / Gentle my Lord, ſleeke o're your rugged Lookes, / Be bright and Iouiall among your Gueſts to Night."
18
Of a period of history or time: happy, prosperous, successful. figuratively
"She has a bright future ahead."
19
Of an opportunity or outlook: having a reasonable chance of success; favourable, good. figuratively
"If he trains hard, his chances of winning the competition are bright."
20
Of conversation, writing, etc.: imaginative or sparkling with wit; clever, witty. figuratively
21
Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent. figuratively
"She’s very bright. She was able to solve the problem without my help."
22
Of the eyes: able to see clearly; of eyesight: keen, sharp. archaic, figuratively
23
Manifest to the mind as light is to the eyes; clear, evident, plain. archaic, figuratively
"[T]he Queriſt muſt not proceed too ſwiftly towards the Determination of his Point propos'd, that he may with more Eaſe, with brighter Evidence, and with ſurer Succeſs draw the Learner on to aſſent to thoſe Principles ſtep by ſtep, from whence the final Concluſion will naturally ariſe."
24
Of a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat. figuratively
25
Of a note: slightly sharp. figuratively
26
Of a metal object or surface: lacking any protective coating or surface treatment for the prevention of corrosion.

Adjective

1
likely to turn out well in the future wordnet
2
having lots of light either natural or artificial wordnet
3
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts wordnet
4
not made dim or less bright wordnet
5
having strong or striking color wordnet

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6
splendid wordnet
7
characterized by happiness or gladness wordnet
8
characterized by quickness and ease in learning wordnet
9
made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing; reflecting a sheen or glow wordnet
10
clear and sharp and ringing wordnet

Adverb

1
In a bright manner; brightly, glowingly, luminously, lustrously. literary, often
2
Referring to colour: with bold or vivid colours; brightly, boldly, vividly. figuratively
3
Referring to sight, sound, understanding, etc.: clearly, distinctly; brightly. archaic, figuratively

Adverb

1
with brightness wordnet

Proper Noun

1
A surname.
"Chandler Basha announced via Twitter on Monday its athletic department has hired former Mesa Skyline girls basketball head coach Chiniqua Bright for the same role."
2
A census-designated place in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States.
3
An unincorporated community in Roane County, West Virginia, United States.
4
An unincorporated community in Green Grove, Clark County, Wisconsin, United States.
5
A civil parish in York County, New Brunswick, Canada.

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6
A town in Alpine Shire, north-east Victoria, Australia.
7
A civil parish and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland.

Noun

1
Brightness, glow. archaic, literary
"Thee Father firſt they ſung Omnipotent, / […] when thou ſhad'ſt / The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud / Drawn round about thee like a radiant Shrine, / Dark with exceſſive bright thy ſkirts appeer, / Yet dazle Heav'n, […]"
2
Glory, splendour. archaic, figuratively, literary
3
Something (especially a product intended for sale) that has vivid colours or a lustrous appearance. in-plural
4
A person with a naturalistic worldview with no mystical or supernatural elements.
"Brights constitute 60% of American scientists, and a stunning 93% of those scientists good enough to be elected to the elite National Academy of Sciences (equivalent to Fellows of the Royal Society) are brights."
5
An artist's brush used in acrylic and oil painting with a long ferrule and a flat, somewhat tapering bristle head.

Verb

1
Often followed by up: to cast light on (someone or something); to brighten, to illuminate. British, dialectal, transitive
2
Often followed by up: to cause (someone or something) to be bright (in various senses); to brighten; specifically, to make (someone or something) energetic, or happy and optimistic. British, dialectal, figuratively, transitive
"Toward Mid-day he [the Sun] brighteth the Air into a chearful Saphir, and guildeth the Borders of the very Clouds with a coſtly limbus."
3
Often followed by up: to become bright (in various senses); to brighten. British, also, dialectal, figuratively, intransitive
"Day brighteth at the smile o' her and yea, He hath aplanted full o' seed for harvesting by thy loving."

Etymology

Etymology 1

The adjective is from Middle English bright, from Old English beorht, from Proto-West Germanic *berht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz (“bright”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ- (“to shine, to gleam, whiten”). The noun is derived from Middle English bright (“brightness, brilliance; daylight; light”), from bright (adjective): see above. The English word is cognate with Albanian bardhë (“white”), Dutch brecht (in personal names), Icelandic bjartur (“bright”), Lithuanian brekšta (“to dawn”), Middle Irish brafad (“blink of an eye”), Norwegian bjart (“bright, clear, shining”), Persian برازیدن (barâzidan, “to beautify; to befit”), Northern Luri بڵێز (bełız, “blaze”) Russian бре́зжить (brézžitʹ, “to dawn; to flicker faintly, glimmer; (figuratively) of a hope, thought, etc.: to begin to manifest, emerge”), Sanskrit भ्राजते (bhrājate), Scots bricht (“bright”), Welsh berth (“beautiful, fair, fine”) (obsolete).

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

From Middle English brighte (“brightly; (figuratively) brilliantly, lustrously; of colour: boldly, vividly; clearly, distinctly; of voice: loudly”) [and other forms], from Old English breohte, beorhte (West Saxon) [and other forms], ultimately from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz (“bright, shining”); see further at etymology 1.

Etymology 4

From Middle English brighten (“to illuminate; to become light, dawn; (figuratively) to cleanse, purify; to clarify, explain”) [and other forms], from Old English beorhtian (“to brighten, shine; to sound clearly or loudly”) [and other forms], probably from beorht (“bright, clear”, adjective) (see further at etymology 1) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns). Later uses of the word are probably also derived from the adjective.

Etymology 5

As an English surname, from the root of bright. As an Anglicized German surname, from Brecht and Breit.

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