as in brilliancy
the quality or state of having or giving off light
the brightness of the sunshine made me squint after an afternoon spent in a darkened movie theater
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Recent Examples of brightness
Betelgeuse fluctuates in diameter and brightness.
—
Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Choose from three brightness modes (soft, bright, and super bright), three light modes (breathing, flashing, and constant), and four timing controls (two, four, six, and eight hours).
—Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
The brightness of comets is notoriously unpredictable.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Jan. 2026
As a result of the wolf moon’s brightness from reflected sunlight, viewing the Quadrantid meteor shower won’t be easy.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brightness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brightness
Noun
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So, astronomers have come up with a compromise regarding the geometry of the sun's illumination angle on Venus' disk versus its distance from Earth to determine the time of Venus' greatest brilliancy.—
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Family circles will have wrapped themselves in the holy pleasures of the great occasion, and everywhere the grand old holiday will have been introduced with all the majesty and brilliancy which clings around the hallowed name of Christmas.—
Noun
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His was an innings of belligerent brilliance.—
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Of course, the Longhorns derived some of their success from Manning’s individual brilliance.—
Noun
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To assess the roots, carefully remove the plant from its pot and examine them for firmness, lightness, and suppleness.—
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But with Rawayana, depth is always masked by lightness.—
Noun
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The rooms and suites still don’t have overhead illumination, and during times without natural daylight, the rooms can feel dark.—
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January’s wolf supermoon, the first full moon of 2026, will light up the sky tonight and reach peak illumination early Saturday morning.—
Noun
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When an orbiting planet crosses the Earth-facing side of its parent star, a bit of the light from the star is temporarily blocked, reducing overall luminosity by a tiny but detectable amount.—
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The luminosity of the supermoon, which appears brighter and fuller than a regular full moon due to its proximity to Earth, may prevent visibility of the Quadrantid meteor shower.—
Cite this Entry
“Brightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brightness. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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