Word
twinkling
Phoneticstwin·kling
US/ˈtwɪŋkəɫɪŋ/
UK/twˈɪŋklɪŋ/
Definition
n. the way a light or a star shines with a quick, bright flash. It can also describe the way someone's eyes look when they are happy or smiling.
n. the act of flashing or flickering with a bright, quick light; also refers to the sparkling quality of a person's eyes. Often used to describe the visual effect of distant stars or the expression of amusement.
Examples
“The twinkling of the stars was beautiful tonight.”
“She looked at him with a twinkling in her eye that suggested she was hiding a secret.”
“The poet described the twilight sky as a canvas of twinkling lights, each star a distant sun whose light had traveled for centuries to reach the observer's eye.”
Examples
simple
“The twinkling of the stars was beautiful tonight.”
contextual
“She looked at him with a twinkling in her eye that suggested she was hiding a secret.”
complex
“The poet described the twilight sky as a canvas of twinkling lights, each star a distant sun whose light had traveled for centuries to reach the observer's eye.”
Real-World Examples
“She’s wearing big tinted glasses, and behind them I picture her eyes twinkling.” Etymology
From Middle English twynkelynge, equivalent to twinkle + -ing.
From Middle English twynkelyng, twynkelynge, equivalent to twinkle + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
twinkling of an eye — A short period of time.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/twinkling