brighten
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
bright/brʌɪt/
▶adjective
- 1 giving out much light, or filled with light.
- 2 (of colour) vivid and bold.
- 3 intelligent and quick-witted.
- 4 cheerfully lively.
- 5 (of prospects) good.
- 6 (of sound) clear and typically high-pitched.
– phrases
bright and early very early in the morning.
(as) bright as a button informal intelligently alert and lively.
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed informal alert and lively.
look on the bright side be optimistic or cheerful in spite of difficulties.
bright and early very early in the morning.
(as) bright as a button informal intelligently alert and lively.
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed informal alert and lively.
look on the bright side be optimistic or cheerful in spite of difficulties.
– derivatives
brighten verb,
brightish adjective,
brightly adverb,
brightness noun.
brighten verb,
brightish adjective,
brightly adverb,
brightness noun.
– origin OE beorht, of Gmc origin.
'brighten' also found in these Oxford entries:
