noun
Meaning 1
The quality of being bright.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
brightness
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈbɹaɪtnəs/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -aɪtnəs
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CMU ARPABET: B R AY1 T N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
The perceived luminance of an object.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Intelligence, cleverness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, idiomatic, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: dullness
Broader terms: light, lightness
Narrower terms: glare, blaze, brilliance, dazzle, glitter, glister, glisten, scintillation, sparkle, flash, glint, opalescence, iridescence, radiance, radiancy, shine, effulgence, refulgence, refulgency, luster, lustre, brilliancy, splendor, splendour
noun
Meaning 5
the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- its luminosity is measured relative to that of our sun
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: luminosity, brightness level, luminance, luminousness, light
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: physical property
Narrower terms: illuminance, illumination, incandescence, luminescence, glow
noun
Meaning 6
intelligence as manifested in being quick and witty
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cleverness, smartness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: intelligence
History
Etymology
From Middle English bryghtnes, brightnesse, from Old English beorhtnes (“brightness, splendor”), from Proto-West Germanic *berhtnassī, equivalent to bright + -ness. Cognate with Old High German berahtnessī, berahtnessi (“brightness”).
Across languages
Translations
85 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Albanian: ndriçim — the quality of being bright
- Arabic: سُطُوع (suṭūʕ) — the quality of being bright
- Armenian: պայծառություն (paycaṙutʻyun) — the quality of being bright
- Bengali: রৌশনী (rōuśoni) — the quality of being bright
- Bulgarian: блясък (bljasǎk) — the quality of being bright
- Chinese Mandarin: 明亮 (míngliàng) — the quality of being bright
- Czech: jas — the quality of being bright
- Czech: jasnost — the quality of being bright
- Czech: třpyt — the quality of being bright
- Dutch: glans — the quality of being bright
- Dutch: helderheid — the quality of being bright
- Egyptian: H-D-D-w-t-N8-Z3 (ḥḏḏwt) — the quality of being bright
- Egyptian: w-b-x:t-N8 (wbḫt) — the quality of being bright
- Esperanto: heldenso — the quality of being bright
- Esperanto: helodenso — the quality of being bright
- Finnish: hohto — the quality of being bright
- Finnish: kirkkaus — the quality of being bright
- Finnish: loisto — the quality of being bright
- Finnish: välke — the quality of being bright
- French: brillance — the quality of being bright
- Galician: brillantez — the quality of being bright
- German: Funkeln — the quality of being bright
- German: Glanz — the quality of being bright
- German: Helligkeit — the quality of being bright
- German: Strahlen — the quality of being bright
- Greek: φωτεινότητα (foteinótita) — the quality of being bright
- Ancient Greek: γάνος (gános) — the quality of being bright
- Ancient Greek: λαμπρότης (lamprótēs) — the quality of being bright
- Hebrew: בהירות (behirut) — the quality of being bright
- Hindi: चमक (camak) — the quality of being bright
- Hungarian: fényesség — the quality of being bright
- Irish: gile — the quality of being bright
- Irish: gléine — the quality of being bright
- Irish: lonracht — the quality of being bright
- Irish: spéiriúlacht — the quality of being bright
- Japanese: 明るさ (akarusa) — the quality of being bright
- Latin: candor — the quality of being bright
- Norwegian: glans — the quality of being bright
- Norwegian: klarhet — the quality of being bright
- Norwegian: lyshet — the quality of being bright
- Norwegian: lysstyrke — the quality of being bright
- Persian: درخشندگی (deraxšandegi) — the quality of being bright
- Polish: jasność — the quality of being bright
- Portuguese: brilho — the quality of being bright
- Portuguese: claridade — the quality of being bright
- Portuguese: clareza — the quality of being bright
- Quechua: phaqsa — the quality of being bright
- Romanian: splendoare — the quality of being bright
- Romanian: strălucire — the quality of being bright
- Russian: блеск (blesk) — the quality of being bright
- Russian: я́ркость (járkostʹ) — the quality of being bright
- Russian: вспы́шка (vspýška) — the quality of being bright
- Spanish: brillo — the quality of being bright
- Swedish: ljusstyrka — the quality of being bright
- Tagalog: liwanag — the quality of being bright
- Tausug: sinag — the quality of being bright
- Telugu: వెలుగు (velugu) — the quality of being bright
- Thai: ความสว่าง (kwaam-sà-wàang) — the quality of being bright
- Turkish: parlaklık — the quality of being bright
- Ukrainian: яскра́вість (jaskrávistʹ) — the quality of being bright
- Urdu: چمک (camak) — the quality of being bright
- Welsh: lleu — the quality of being bright
- Abkhaz: ашеишеира (aŝejŝejra) — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Armenian: պայծառություն (paycaṙutʻyun) — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Armenian: լուսեղություն (luseġutʻyun) — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Bulgarian: я́ркост (járkost) — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- French: luminosité — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- German: Helligkeit — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Greek: λάμψη (lámpsi) — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Irish: gile — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Irish: gléine — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Latvian: spilgtums — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Latvian: spožums — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Russian: я́ркость (járkostʹ) — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Tagalog: liwanag — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Welsh: lleu — perception elicited by the luminance of an object
- Armenian: լուսավոր (lusavor) — intelligence, cleverness
- Finnish: älykkyys — intelligence, cleverness
- French: intelligence — intelligence, cleverness
- German: Aufgewecktheit — intelligence, cleverness
- Greek: εξυπνάδα (exypnáda) — intelligence, cleverness
- Hebrew: תבונה — intelligence, cleverness
- Hebrew: אינטלגנציה — intelligence, cleverness
- Russian: смышлёность (smyšljónostʹ) — intelligence, cleverness
- Russian: ум (um) — intelligence, cleverness
Real reading context