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: the attribute of light-source colors by which emitted light is ordered continuously from light to dark in correlation with its intensity compare hue sense 2c, lightness entry 1 sense 2a, saturation sense 4
Examples of brightness in a Sentence
the brightness of the sunshine made me squint after an afternoon spent in a darkened movie theater
Recent Examples on the Web
This summer, the Lab was chock full of gear, with clever, innovative tests for everything from backpack comfort to headlamp brightness.
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Adam Trenkamp, Outside, 11 Jan. 2026
Over the years, headlight brightness has been a top-five complaint from people to me, and this recent piece drew plenty of feedback.
—Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Leaving wine open for too long can strip its brightness, dull its aromas and mute its flavors, experts say.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Jan. 2026
The goal was to deliver consistent image quality rather than trade resolution for brightness.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Brightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brightness. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Medical Definition
brightness
noun
bright·ness
ˈbrīt-nəs 
: the one of the three psychological dimensions of color perception by which visual stimuli are ordered continuously from light to dark and which is correlated with light intensity compare hue, saturation sense 4a
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