- full of light; shining strongly
- bright light/sunshine
- a bright room
- Her eyes were bright with tears.
- a bright morning (= with the sun shining)
- All of these stars are bigger and brighter than our sun.
Extra Examples- The following morning dawned bright and warm.
- The morning was quite bright, but it clouded over in the afternoon.
- The morning was reasonably bright.
- The offices are going to be bright and airy.
- The sky was still bright in the west.
- The sun shone bright and hot.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Definitions on the go
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- (of a colour) strong and easy to see
- I like bright colours.
- a bright yellow dress
- Jack's face turned bright red.
- This colour is a bit bright, isn't it ?
Synonyms brightbrightbrilliant ▪ vivid ▪ vibrantThese words all 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
- The sky was a brilliant blue.
- His eyes were a vivid green.
- The room was decorated in vibrant blues and greens.
- bright/brilliant/vivid/vibrant colours
- bright/brilliant light/sunlight/sunshine/eyes
Extra ExamplesTopics Colours and Shapesa2- a bright tie
- The white feathers looked surprisingly bright.
- 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
Extra ExamplesTopics Successb1- The factory's future now looks bright.
- The war dimmed hopes of a rising market after a bright start to the year.
- intelligent; quick to learn
- the brightest pupil in the class
- Do you have any bright ideas (= clever ideas)?
Synonyms intelligentintelligentsmart ▪ clever ▪ brilliant ▪ brightThese words all describe people who are good at learning, understanding and thinking about things, and the actions that show this ability.intelligent good at learning, understanding and thinking in a logical way about things; showing this ability: He’s a highly intelligent man.She asked a lot of intelligent questions.smart (especially North American English) quick at learning and understanding things; showing the ability to make good business or personal decisions: She’s smarter than her brother.That was a smart career move.clever (sometimes disapproving, especially British English) quick at learning and understanding things; showing this ability: How clever of you to work it out!He’s too clever by half, if you ask me. People use clever in the phrase : Clever boy/girl! to tell a young child that they have learnt or done something well. When used to or about an adult clever can be disapproving.brilliant extremely intelligent or showing a lot of skill: He’s a brilliant young scientist.bright intelligent; quick to learn: She’s probably the brightest student in the class. Bright is used especially to talk about young people. Common collocations of bright include girl, boy, kid, student, pupil.Patterns- clever/brilliant at something
- a(n) intelligent/smart/clever/brilliant/bright child/boy/girl/man/woman
- a(n) intelligent/smart/clever/brilliant thing to do
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesb2- Ms Newman is bright, opinionated and decisive.
- Thomas is an exceptionally bright boy.
- a really bright child
- She's probably the brightest student in the class.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- 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.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesb2- Her timid eyes grew bright and she looked ready to venture on.
- He felt bright and cheerful and full of energy.
Word OriginOld English beorht, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
See bright in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee bright in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbright and early
- very early in the morning
- You're up bright and early today!
(as) bright as a button
- (British English, informal) intelligent and quick to understandMore Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
the bright lights
- the excitement of city life
- Although he grew up in the country, he's always had a taste for the bright lights.
a bright spark
- (British English, informal, often ironic) a lively and intelligent person, especially somebody young
- Some bright spark (= stupid person) left the tap running all night.
a/the bright spot
- a good or pleasant part of something that is unpleasant or bad in all other ways
- The win last week was the only bright spot in their last ten games.
- The birth of my son was the one bright spot in a terrible year.
look on the bright side
- to be cheerful or positive about a bad situation, for example by thinking only of the advantages and not the disadvantages
- Look on the bright side. You managed to do more than I did.
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