bright 1 of 2

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as in intelligent
having or showing quickness of mind a company that is always looking for bright, ambitious college graduates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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bright

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adverb

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bright colors
vivid colors
vibrant colors
brilliant colors
bold colors
loud colors
a bright day
a sunny day
a clear day
a brilliant day
a dazzling day
a sunshiny day
a bright future
a good future
a hopeful future
a brilliant future
a vibrant future
a sunny future
bright students
smart students
intelligent students
sharp students
brilliant students
brainy students

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bright differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bright are brilliant, luminous, lustrous, and radiant. While all these words mean "shining or glowing with light," bright implies emitting or reflecting a high degree of light.

When is brilliant a more appropriate choice than bright?

While the synonyms brilliant and bright are close in meaning, brilliant implies intense often sparkling brightness.

In what contexts can luminous take the place of bright?

While in some cases nearly identical to bright, luminous implies emission of steady, suffused, glowing light by reflection or in surrounding darkness.

When would lustrous be a good substitute for bright?

The meanings of lustrous and bright largely overlap; however, lustrous stresses an even, rich light from a surface that reflects brightly without glittering.

When might radiant be a better fit than bright?

Although the words radiant and bright have much in common, radiant stresses the emission or seeming emission of rays of light.

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bright
Adjective
Eat like a local at Commune and Bubba’s Courtesy of Visit Virginia Beach In Virginia Beach, sustainable seafood shines brightest when paired with fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, a value the city’s culinary community embraces. AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025 In India, Yawar Nazir took this photo of the full moon shining bright next to the minaret of a mosque, on Feb. 12, in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 13 Feb. 2025 Initially, energy efficient bulbs were expensive, cast bright, unflattering light and were bulky, sometimes too big to fit in lamps. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025 That is the motto of your presidency: the best and the brightest, the most intelligent, coming into these spaces. David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bright 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bright
Adjective
  • Ben Franklin, with his range of knowledge from political science to publishing to ocean currents, is another shining example.
    Joe McKendrick, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Elsa Hosk is another shining example of this phenomenon.
    Kelsey Stiegman, Vogue, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Available in both a cheerful yellow daffodil and a muted pastel lavender, this handbag can add a vibrant statement to your outfit or a subtle pop of color.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Plant was putting them through a cheerful endurance test, but the filmmakers were used to the hunt.
    Steve Appleford, SPIN, 17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Chahine is clearly an intelligent person, and his experience in finance has obviously helped him during this esports journey, making decisions that traditional esports execs may not have made.
    Mike Stubbs, Forbes, 8 Feb. 2025
  • At once personal yet scientific, richly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures.
    Kevin Spencer, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • This year marks the 12th consecutive partnership between the Black List and Elwes to support a promising writer with independent sensibilities with in-person mentorship and exposure to the indie film world.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025
  • The co-main event will be a women's strawweight title bout between champion Zhang Weili (25-3-0) and American challenger Tatiana Suarez (11-0-0), who remains undefeated so far in her promising career.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for singles who are actively dating.
    Fernanda Galan, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2025
  • Around nine in ten Catholics who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party have a favorable view of him, compared to 63 percent of Catholics who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Our first priority always is to maintain outstanding security and operational excellence.
    Ayesha Javed, TIME, 16 Feb. 2025
  • Each Movies 'Wicked' Star Jeff Goldblum Plays Piano During BAFTA Film Awards In Memoriam Segment Winslet scored a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film, with Lee also nominated for the BAFTA for outstanding British film of the year.
    Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Start with this radiant full-band take, featuring a yearning lead vocal and a jaunty whistling solo.
    Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025
  • From effortlessly radiant soft glam, to bold, high-shine lips, the girls understood the assignment.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In the Baltimore area, Monday is expected to gradually turn sunny as temperatures reach a high of 39 degrees.
    Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 17 Feb. 2025
  • The ferocity of the natural world was a season one trope that got dialed down when lush Hawai’i was traded for a sunny Sicilian villa in season two.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near bright

Cite this Entry

“Bright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bright. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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