sparkle
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to shine with many small, bright points of light.
v.to emit or reflect small, bright flashes of light; to scintillate.
Simple“The ocean started to sparkle as the sun came out from behind the clouds.”
In context“The fresh snow began to sparkle under the moonlight, creating a brilliant landscape that looked almost artificial in its perfection.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to be very lively, interesting, or funny in a social situation.
v.to manifest vivacity, wit, or intelligence in a social or intellectual context.
Simple“She always sparkles at parties because she tells such great stories.”
In context“The lead actress truly sparkles in this role, bringing a level of wit and energy that elevates the entire production.”
Synonymsshinebe vivacious - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to have many small bubbles of gas, like soda or champagne.
v.to emit small bubbles of gas; to effervesce.
Simple“The mineral water began to sparkle as soon as he poured it into the glass.”
In context“The cider will sparkle naturally if it is bottled before the fermentation process has completely finished.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.a small, bright flash of light.
n.a small, bright point or flash of light; a scintillation.
Simple“There was a tiny sparkle in the diamond when it caught the light.”
In context“The jeweler pointed out the exceptional sparkle of the gem, noting how the precision of the cut maximized its light return.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a quality of being exciting, energetic, or bright.
n.an animated or vivacious quality in a person's character or performance.
Simple“The teacher's eyes had a friendly sparkle whenever she told a joke.”
In context“Despite the serious subject matter, the script was written with a certain sparkle that kept the audience engaged throughout the evening.”
From Middle English sparkel, sparkle, sparcle, equivalent to spark + -le (diminutive suffix). In some modern uses deverbal from etymology 2 below.
From Middle English sparklen, sperclen, equivalent to spark + -le (frequentative verb). Cognate with West Frisian sparkelje (“to sparkle”), Dutch sparkelen (“to sparkle”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.