/ braɪt; NAmE / adjective , adverb , noun
■ adjective ( bright·er , bright·est )
1.
full of light; shining strongly :
bright light / sunshine
a bright room
Her eyes were bright with tears.
a bright morning (= with the sun shining)
2.
( of a colour ) strong and easy to see :
I like bright colours.
a bright yellow dress
Jack's face turned bright red .
3.
cheerful and lively :
His eyes were bright and excited.
She gave me a bright smile.
Why are you so bright and cheerful today?
His face was bright with excitement.
➡ note at cheerful
4.
intelligent; quick to learn :
the brightest pupil in the class
Do you have any bright ideas (= clever ideas) ?
➡ note at intelligent
5.
giving reason to believe that good things will happen; likely to be successful :
This young musician has a bright future .
Prospects for the coming year look bright.
a bright start to the week
► bright·ly adverb :
a brightly lit room
'Hi!' she called brightly.
► bright·ness noun [ U ]
•
IDIOMS
- bright and early
- (as) bright as a button
- the bright lights
- a bright spark
- a / the bright spot
- look on the bright side
■ adverb
( bright·er , bright·est ) ( literary ) (usually with the verbs burn and shine ) brightly :
The stars were shining bright.
■ noun
brights [ pl. ] ( NAmE ) the headlights on a vehicle set to a position in which they are shining as brightly as possible and not directed downwards
••
SYNONYMS
bright
brilliant ♦ fluorescent ♦ luminous ♦ vivid ♦ vibrant
All these words describe things that are shining or full of light or colours that are strong and easy to see.
bright
full of light; shining strongly; (of colours) strong and easy to see:
a bright yellow dress
brilliant
very bright:
The sky was a brilliant blue.
fluorescent
producing bright light by using some forms of radiation; appearing very bright when light shines on it; that can be seen in the dark:
fluorescent lighting
•
cyclists wearing fluorescent yellow armbands
luminous
shining in the dark; very bright or too bright:
luminous hands on a clock
vivid
( approving ) (of colours) bright and strong:
His eyes were a vivid green.
vibrant
( approving ) (of colours) bright and strong:
The room was decorated in vibrant blues and greens.
vivid or vibrant?
These two words are very similar, but vivid emphasizes how bright a colour is, while vibrant suggests a more lively and exciting colour or combination of colours.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
bright / brilliant / fluorescent light
bright / brilliant sunlight / sunshine
bright / brilliant / luminous eyes
bright / brilliant / vivid / vibrant colours
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English beorht , of Germanic origin.