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Glite Dictionary
brimful of

brimful of

1 3.8
Full to the top with something, often a feeling
  • idiom
translation icon : rebosante de
  • A hole of some kind that was easy, even with it brimful of raspberry canes and thistles.

Examples

  • He had not felt so fit, so confident, so brimful of vigour, in ages.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The cup was brimful of steaming coffee, just waiting to be enjoyed.

  • A quiet sobbing to my right drew my attention once more to Maura, and I saw her eyes brimful of tears.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She'd never seen Naomi so overwrought, so brimful of emotion.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • And the cliff vanishes from under my hands and I tumble sideways into a square, sunken pit brimful of sun.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The basket was brimful of fresh fruits, ready for the market.

  • Her mind was brimful of exciting ideas for the upcoming project.

Synonyms

full
vsbrimful of
∞ 1.0

Containing as much as possible with no empty space

limits that general completeness to being filled right to the top
full of
vsbrimful of
∞ 1.0

Containing a lot of something, like tears or facts

focuses more narrowly on physical filling up to the top edge
packed with
vsbrimful of
70 2.5

Full of many people or things

narrows that idea to specifically reaching the top with a particular thing
chock-full
vsbrimful of
23 4.1

So full that there is no space left

highlights reaching the very top edge rather than general tight packing
replete
vsbrimful of
16 6.6

Filled with many things, for example ideas or objects

uses plain everyday language to express physical top-level filling
to overflowing with
vsbrimful of
15 2.9

Full of a lot of something, often too much

refers to reaching the top without stressing excess or spillover
stuffed to the gills
vsbrimful of
  • Informal
1 7.6

Completely full with no space left

is a neutral way to describe filling right up to the top
brimful
vsbrimful of
1 5.2

So full that it almost overflows

focuses on the same top-level filling but used idiomatically for a thing
brimming
vsbrimful of
3.4

So full that it is almost overflowing, often with a strong feeling

means physical top-level filling rather than overflowing emotion or quality
chockful
vsbrimful of
6.3

Full so there is no room left

specifies that the filling reaches the top edge as its mark
choke-full
vsbrimful of
7.0

Filled so tightly that there is no space left

indicates reaching the top edge without necessarily implying active spillage
overflowing
vsbrimful of
3.1

So full that water spills out and covers the area around it

describes being full to the top without actual spilling
full to the gills
vsbrimful of
  • Informal
6.6

Very full after a large meal or in a crowded place

is the everyday neutral expression for reaching the top edge
filled
vsbrimful of
1.0

Full of something that takes up most of it

emphasizes reaching the very top with a specified thing
stuffed
vsbrimful of
2.2

Filled with something inside, often for cooking or as a toy

means natural or general top-level filling rather than added stuffing
loaded
vsbrimful of
2.6

Full of things so it is heavy or crowded

refers specifically to reaching the top edge with a particular thing

Antonyms

empty
∞ 1.0

Not containing anything

devoid
  • Formal
52 5.5

Completely without something that is usual or expected

How Full

brimful of
1 3.8
full of
∞ 1.0
half
102 1.0
empty
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

brimful of positive

Morphology

brimful + of

The adjective 'brimful' directly denotes being almost overflowing and the preposition 'of' marks the contained substance, so the meaning 'completely full to the top with X' is compositional. This follows the common English pattern (cf. 'full of', 'filled with') and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should infer the meaning.

Etymology

Brimful of comes from the picture of a cup or hat filled right to the brim. If something is brimful of a thing, it is 'completely full' or 'full to the top' of that thing.