What does "glint" mean?

A short flash of light, usually when reflected off a shiny surface.

What is a synonym for "glint"?

Common synonyms include: aflicker, afterglow, air glow, be bright, beacon, beam.

Glint

/ɡlɪnt/ adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Usage: "Glint" functions as both a noun and a adjective, so context is key — make sure the surrounding sentence makes the intended meaning clear. Its core sense is: to flash or gleam briefly.

Origin: 15th century. Borrowed from Scots glint, from Middle English glenten (“to shine, gleam; flash”), probably from Old Norse *glenta, from Proto-Germanic *glantijaną, causitive of Proto-Germanic *glintaną (“to gleam, shine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Cognate with Danish glente, Swedish glänta, Norwegian Nynorsk gletta (“to peep, look”), Middle High German glinzen; compare also Swedish glinta (“to slip, slide, gleam, shine”), Swedish glimt (“flash, glint, glimpse”), Norwegian Nynorsk glanta, gletta (“to glide, slip”). Reintroduced into literary English by Robert Burns.

Watch out: Because "glint" carries multiple meanings across different parts of speech, writers sometimes use it where a more specific word like "flicker" would be clearer. Check that your intended sense is unmistakable from context.

Definitions

Noun

1
A short flash of light, usually when reflected off a shiny surface.
"I saw the glint of metal as he raised the gun."
2
a spatially localized brightness wordnet
3
A brief look; a glance. obsolete
""My name is Elphinstone, ma'am," said the young man, and then he cleared his throat and gave a glint at Mary, and grew redder in the face than ever."
4
a momentary flash of light wordnet

Verb

1
To flash or gleam briefly. intransitive
"A wedding ring glinted on her finger."
2
be shiny, as if wet wordnet
3
To glance; to peep forth, as a flower from the bud; to glitter. intransitive, uncommon
"The rising sun owre Galston muirs, / Wi' glorious light was glintin'"
4
throw a glance at; take a brief look at wordnet
5
To cause to flash or gleam; to reflect. transitive
"The scientists theorized that a meteoroid, ranging in size from a speck of dust to a marble, might have struck the satellite and chipped off a bit of debris that glinted a ray of sun back on the Vela's second sensor […]"

Show 1 more definition

6
To dry; to wither. Shropshire, archaic, transitive
"The sun glints grass and corn."

Adjective

1
Not sharp; dull. Shropshire, archaic
"The knife is glint."

Synonyms

All synonyms

aflicker afterglow air glow be bright beacon beam

Antonyms

All antonyms

concealment darken darkness dim

Example

More examples

"And now I neared the gates, and thought my flight / achieved, when suddenly a noise we hear / of trampling feet, and, peering through the night, / my father cries, "Fly, son, the Greeks are near; / they come, I see the glint of shield and spear, / fierce foes in front and flashing arms behind.""

Etymology

15th century. Borrowed from Scots glint, from Middle English glenten (“to shine, gleam; flash”), probably from Old Norse *glenta, from Proto-Germanic *glantijaną, causitive of Proto-Germanic *glintaną (“to gleam, shine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Cognate with Danish glente, Swedish glänta, Norwegian Nynorsk gletta (“to peep, look”), Middle High German glinzen; compare also Swedish glinta (“to slip, slide, gleam, shine”), Swedish glimt (“flash, glint, glimpse”), Norwegian Nynorsk glanta, gletta (“to glide, slip”). Reintroduced into literary English by Robert Burns.

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