aglitter

8.1

Shining with many small bright points of light

adjective
/əˈɡlɪtər/

Literature

: destellante

Her necklace was aglitter with tiny diamonds, catching everyone's attention.

Examples

The stars were aglitter in the clear night sky, creating a breathtaking view.
The city skyline looked aglitter as the lights reflected off the buildings at night.
The water was now aglitter with topaz highlights from a sun that stood a handbreadth above the horizon.

Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

sparkly

vsaglitter

30 2.3

Shining with many small bright points like glitter

describes the same sparkle but without the decorative or playful tone

glittery

vsaglitter

11 2.7

Shining with many small, bright points of light

expresses the same flashing shine in a more neutral way

sparkling

vsaglitter

5 1.3

Shining with small bright points like light on snow

focuses more on the literal bright flashing effect

glittering

vsaglitter

2 3.0

Shining with many small bright points like stars

describes the same bright flashing or sparkling appearance

scintillating

vsaglitter

1 8.2

Sparkling with small bright flashes of light

is similar but presents a more general sparkling image

glistering

vsaglitter

Archaic

7.9

Shining with small bright points like light on water

covers the same shining but with less emphasis on brevity

coruscant

vsaglitter

Literature

9.9

Shining with quick, bright flashes like sparks

is similar but uses simpler neutral imagery of shine

fulgid

vsaglitter

Literature

9.9

Shining very brightly with small flashes of light

captures the same bright flashes but in everyday terms

scintillant

vsaglitter

Literature

9.9

Shining with many small bright flashes of light

is broader, not stressing the small intermittent spark quality

glinting

vsaglitter

3.6

Shines with small bright flashes of light

is the general idea of shining with bright points rather than intermittence

twinkling

vsaglitter

3.3

Shining with small bright flashes of light

denotes steady bright flashes rather than mainly flickering ones

Antonyms

dull

31 1.0

Not bright or shiny with weak colour

matte

2 3.5

Not shiny and showing little reflection

How Bright

dazzling

39 3.9

aglitter

Literature

8.1

aglow

7 5.5

agleam

Literature

8.0

faint

148 2.7

Surface Forms

aglitter positive

aglitterer comparative

aglitterest superlative

Morphology

aglitter = glitter (semi-transparent) = a + glitter

The connection to 'glitter' is clear, but the adjectival prefix 'a-' is archaic and not a highly productive pattern for most learners.

Etymology

The word aglitter comes from the small beginning a-, meaning 'on' or 'in', plus the familiar word glitter, which means 'to shine with small bright points'. So, aglitter means 'covered in sparkling light' and is used for things that sparkle or shine.