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Bright

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bright¹

  • /ˈbɹaɪ̯t/ US, UK
  • [ˈbɹʷaɪ̯t] US, UK
  • /ˈbɹɐɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷɐɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹʌɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷʌɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹɜɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷɜɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹəɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷəɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹɑɪ̯t/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈbɹʷɑ̟ɪ̯t] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈbɹɒ̈ɪ̯t/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈbɹʷɒ̈ɪ̯t] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈbɹaːt/
  • [ˈbɹʷaːt]

Rhymes with -aɪt

Where it comes from

The adjective is from Middle English bright, from Old English berht, beorht, bryht, byrht, from Proto-West Germanic *berht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz (“bright”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ- (“to gleam, shine, whiten”).

The noun is derived from Middle English bright (“brightness, brilliance; daylight; light”), from bright (adjective): see above.

Cognates

Cognate with Scots bricht (“bright”), Danish bjært (“bright”), Faroese and Icelandic bjartur (“bright”), Norwegian Nynorsk bjart (“bright”), Swedish bjärt (“bright”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌷𐍄𐍃 (bairhts, “bright, clear; evident”); also Welsh berth (“beautiful, fair, fine”), Albanian bardhë (“white”), Lithuanian brėkšti (“to dawn”), Polish brzeżdżyć (“to dawn”), Russian бре́зжить (brézžitʹ, “to dawn”), Persian برازیدن (barâzidan, “to beautify; to befit”).

adjective brighter · brightest

  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
  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.
  6. figuratively Clearly apparent; conspicuous. 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. figuratively Of a colour: not muted or pale; bold, brilliant, vivid. Her step was quick; her eye piercing, and of the brightest blue; […]
  8. figuratively Of an object, surface, etc.: having vivid colour(s); colourful. The orange and blue walls of the sitting room were much brighter than the dull grey walls of the kitchen.
  9. figuratively Of a musical instrument, sound, or a voice: clearly audible; clear, resounding, and often high-pitched.
  10. figuratively Of a room or other place: having acoustic qualities that tend to cause much echoing or reverberation of sound, particularly at high frequencies.
  11. figuratively Of a scent or taste: having an agreeable balance of sweet and sour, often with associations of coolness, freshness, and sometimes aromaticity.
  12. figuratively Of a scent or taste: not bland or mild; bold, sharp, strong.
  13. figuratively Of a substance: clear, transparent; also, pure, unadulterated; (specifically) of wine: free of suspended particles; not cloudy; fine. From […] the brighteſt Wines / He'd turn abhorrent.
  14. figuratively Glorious; illustrious. And 'twas the worſt, if not the only ſtain, / I'th' brighteſt Annals of a Female Reign.
  15. figuratively In good spirits; happy, optimistic. I woke up today feeling so bright that I decided to have a little dance.
  16. figuratively Of the face or eyes, or a smile: showing happiness or hopefulness; cheerful, lively. 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. figuratively Of a person: lively, vivacious. Come on: / Gentle my Lord, ſleeke o're your rugged Lookes, / Be bright and Iouiall among your Gueſts to Night.
  18. figuratively Of a period of history or time: happy, prosperous, successful. She has a bright future ahead.
  19. figuratively Of an opportunity or outlook: having a reasonable chance of success; favourable, good. If he trains hard, his chances of winning the competition are bright.
  20. figuratively Of conversation, writing, etc.: imaginative or sparkling with wit; clever, witty.
  21. figuratively Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent. She’s very bright. She was able to solve the problem without my help.
  22. archaic, figuratively Of the eyes: able to see clearly; of eyesight: keen, sharp.
  23. archaic, figuratively Manifest to the mind as light is to the eyes; clear, evident, plain. [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. figuratively Of a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat.
  25. figuratively Of a note: slightly sharp.
  26. Of a metal object or surface: lacking any protective coating or surface treatment for the prevention of corrosion.

noun brights

  1. archaic, literary Brightness, glow. 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. archaic, figuratively, literary Glory, splendour.
  3. in plural Something (especially a product intended for sale) that has vivid colours or a lustrous appearance.
  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.

bright²

  • /ˈbɹaɪ̯t/ US, UK
  • [ˈbɹʷaɪ̯t] US, UK
  • /ˈbɹɐɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷɐɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹʌɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷʌɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹɜɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷɜɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹəɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷəɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹɑɪ̯t/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈbɹʷɑ̟ɪ̯t] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈbɹɒ̈ɪ̯t/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈbɹʷɒ̈ɪ̯t] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈbɹaːt/
  • [ˈbɹʷaːt]

Rhymes with -aɪt

Where it comes from

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.

adverb more bright · most bright

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

bright³

  • /ˈbɹaɪ̯t/ US, UK
  • [ˈbɹʷaɪ̯t] US, UK
  • /ˈbɹɐɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷɐɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹʌɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷʌɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹɜɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷɜɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹəɪ̯t/
  • [ˈbɹʷəɪ̯t]
  • /ˈbɹɑɪ̯t/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈbɹʷɑ̟ɪ̯t] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈbɹɒ̈ɪ̯t/ Australia, New Zealand
  • [ˈbɹʷɒ̈ɪ̯t] Australia, New Zealand
  • /ˈbɹaːt/
  • [ˈbɹʷaːt]

Rhymes with -aɪt

Where it comes from

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.

verb brights · brighting · brighted · bright

  1. UK, dialectal, transitive Often followed by up: to cast light on (someone or something); to brighten, to illuminate.
  2. UK, dialectal, figuratively, transitive 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. 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. UK, also, dialectal, figuratively, intransitive Often followed by up: to become bright (in various senses); to brighten. Day brighteth at the smile o' her and yea, He hath aplanted full o' seed for harvesting by thy loving.

Bright⁴

Where it comes from

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

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

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