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dazzle

dazzle

11 5.6
A very bright light that makes it hard to see
  • noun
  • /ˈdæzl/
translation icon : deslumbramiento
  • "Oh!" she said, her eyes luminous with the dazzle she beheld.
  • razzle-dazzle

Heat and light shimmered in the dazzle, strangely colored light, heat that danced and shook day over a dreadful land.

Examples

  • The offshore breeze carried the smoke and the fog away, and he could see a dazzle of stars overhead.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Leah's still a handsome woman, but the dazzle is gone, and she looks tired around the eyes.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • His arms are rising slowly from his sides, a happy dazzle in his eyes.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • It's just a lot of personality stuff, some flash and dazzle with no substance.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • In the sunlight, a quick and sharp dazzle, the simple gold ring she wore on her left hand gleamed.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Jessi's decided that driving in darkness means facing the dazzle of oncoming headlights.

  • Annie lowered the visor against the sun's dazzle and felt something inside her quicken.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The light in August was incandescent, pouring in a dazzle of silver-gold through the delicate blue veils of summer sky.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Heat and light shimmered in the dazzle, strangely colored light, heat that danced and shook day over a dreadful land.

  • The dazzle from the fireworks was so bright that it temporarily blinded me.

Synonyms

brilliance
vsdazzle
8 4.5

A very bright light that makes it hard to see

is the brightness that partially blinds or confuses, not just being brighter
effulgence
vsdazzle
  • Literature
1 9.9

A very bright, shining light that fills a place

is about intense brightness that causes temporary eye confusion or partial blindness
dazzlement
vsdazzle
6.9

A short loss of sight caused by a sudden bright light

is similar but focuses on brightness rather than suddenness
bedazzlement
vsdazzle
8.1

A short time of not being able to see clearly because of very bright light

is more about causing partial temporary blindness rather than mere confusion

Antonyms

30 2.7

How easy it is to see through something like clean water

4 3.4

Low light that makes it hard to see

Compounds

razzle-dazzle
  • Informal
4 8.5

A flashy, exciting move used to impress or confuse people

How Bright

glare
37 3.3
dazzle
11 5.6
shine
137 1.0
glow
119 1.0
to glimmer
12 3.9

Surface Forms

dazzle singular
dazzles plural

Etymology

Dazzle as a noun shares the same origin: an old idea of 'blinding' and is like daze. So a dazzle is the strong, bright shine that can make you squint or see less clearly.