Glitter
What it means
To reflect many small, bright flashes of light.
Reach for it when describing a lively visual effect without automatically praising substance or value
The wet pavement began to glitter beneath the festival lights.
Words to choose between 6
| playful |
|
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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playful
Fits when individual lights brighten and fade intermittently
Careful Twinkle describes separated points, not a whole reflective surface.
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everyday
Fits when a moist or polished surface reflects steady light
Careful Glisten often suggests wetness and lacks glitter's repeated flashes.
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warm
Fits when bright points of light create a fresh cheerful effect
Careful Sparkle is softer and may describe personality as readily as a surface.
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formal
coruscate
Fits when rare elevated prose genuinely needs rapid flashes
Careful Coruscate is obscure and will distract most readers from a simple visual image.
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literary
Fits when one clear restrained shine is visible
Careful Gleam is too focused and calm for a field of glittering reflections.
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literary
shimmer
Fits when light moves softly across water, cloth, or another surface
Careful Shimmer is wavering and subdued rather than sharp and numerous.
Opposites 3
- dull
- darken
- absorb
Common phrases 3
-
glitter brightly
Mineral grains glitter brightly where the rock has split.
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glitter in sunlight
The restored tiles glitter in sunlight after rain.
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river glitter
The river glittered as the last clouds moved east.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated