as in minute
a very small space of time
in a twinkling, the rabbit had disappeared
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in gleaming
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in flashing
to shine with light at regular intervals
holiday decorations twinkled in the shop windows
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in glinting
to shoot forth bursts of light
stars twinkling on a crisp September night
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of twinkling
Heather McRea, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
Plan Your Shots For the best chance to capture the Milky Way and make the most of those twinkling stars, schedule your photo sessions around the new moon.
—Jay Clue, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
As the crowd filed in, DJs Doppelganger Paris—identical twins Brice and Régis Abby—were already on the decks, accompanied by Grammy-winning pianist Brian Kennedy, the city lights twinkling behind them.
—Rachel Marlowe, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
Greer, South Carolina Located in upstate South Carolina with a population hovering around 50,000, Greer has maintained a small-town atmosphere with a revitalized downtown area, easy pedestrian access, and attractive twinkling lights.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Stylistically, the album feels of a piece with the work of post-Earl MCs like MIKE or Navy Blue, delivering meditations over electro-funk loops resplendent with squelching synths, twinkling keys, and Jimmy Jam drums.
—Liam Inscoe-Jones, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2026
Each year, Music Hall fills with twinkling lights, the sound of nostalgic carols and the joy of thousands of audience members at Holiday Pops.
—Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2026
The team Pep Guardiola built in the early 2010s, combining the wonderful passing of Xavi Hernandez and Andrés Iniesta with the twinkling magic of Lionel Messi, will forever be remembered.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The stars are twinkling down at them, adding cool light to the 91-degree heat.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
For a long time, the property gleamed in the daylight with its white, ornate facade against lush green landscaping and often at night, as well, with twinkling holiday lights attached to almost every surface.
—Heather McRea, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
Plan Your Shots For the best chance to capture the Milky Way and make the most of those twinkling stars, schedule your photo sessions around the new moon.
—Jay Clue, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
As the crowd filed in, DJs Doppelganger Paris—identical twins Brice and Régis Abby—were already on the decks, accompanied by Grammy-winning pianist Brian Kennedy, the city lights twinkling behind them.
—Rachel Marlowe, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
Greer, South Carolina Located in upstate South Carolina with a population hovering around 50,000, Greer has maintained a small-town atmosphere with a revitalized downtown area, easy pedestrian access, and attractive twinkling lights.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Stylistically, the album feels of a piece with the work of post-Earl MCs like MIKE or Navy Blue, delivering meditations over electro-funk loops resplendent with squelching synths, twinkling keys, and Jimmy Jam drums.
—Liam Inscoe-Jones, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2026
Each year, Music Hall fills with twinkling lights, the sound of nostalgic carols and the joy of thousands of audience members at Holiday Pops.
—Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2026
The team Pep Guardiola built in the early 2010s, combining the wonderful passing of Xavi Hernandez and Andrés Iniesta with the twinkling magic of Lionel Messi, will forever be remembered.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The stars are twinkling down at them, adding cool light to the 91-degree heat.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twinkling
Noun
-
Seven stacks of tiny paper cups were arranged to the left, next to packets of Nescafé, pouches of two-minute noodles, and a double gas burner connected to the cylinder—the main tool of his trade.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The dinky port town of Antiparos, with a strip of cute shops, cafes, and unpretentious restaurants, is a ten-minute drive.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Under his meticulous care, the gleaming red sports car has been souped up to generate 400-horsepower turbo performance, but retains much of the original features and feel.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The trailer features stunning images of the massive gleaming white cube that was the centerpiece of the staging and Instagram-worthy shots of the pryo and special effects that made the tour a must-see for fans.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The bank also reduced its overall equity allocation to neutral, citing a broad set of negative macro signals now flashing caution.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
So when an octopus starts flashing colors and twitching in its sleep, the parallels are hard to ignore.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the gutter, the usual New Orleans blend of litter and live-oak leaves was topped by a shimmering layer of pink fish scales glinting in the sun.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The path down is picturesque, but peppered with black snakes glinting in the sun.—
Kristina Kasparian,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Such hair-thin probes can measure heartbeat, oxygen saturation and temperature in real time.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Catheterization is used to look for structural issues that could cause conditions like clogged arteries, irregular heartbeat and pulmonary hypertension.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This time, my eyes slid to the fresh silver polish on her fingernails, her cascading perm thick but without any undergrowth, and those eyes darting from me to the cop, glistening as if on the verge of pouring.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The puppet wore a black judicial robe and had glistening eyes with slit pupils.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For years, my bedroom TV was a heavy, buzzing relic from my college days that required a specific magic tap on the side just to stop the screen from flickering.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That's partly because of the striking all-hard-sided aluminum build, partly because of the Dickinson mini-fireplace flickering away inside, and partly because of the cozy, rustic layout Kimbo has managed to carve out of a tiny space.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Besides carnivorous snake-trees, majestic candlehawks, and various glittering quasi-insects, the Scythian biome includes a species called the basket-men, who look like a cross between great apes and praying mantises.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
From the dramatic open-air lobby, a series of pools cascades, domino-like, down to the glittering Sea of Cortez.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twinkling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twinkling. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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