Skip to main content
limelight

limelight

1 8.2
A bright white stage light made by a flame on lime used in old theatres
  • noun
  • /ˈlaɪmˌlaɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : luz de cal
  • I'm, I mentioned before that my, my classroom in Syracuse was big and big windows and lots of limelight streaming in.

Examples

  • In your mind's eye, pretend you're on stage in the limelight.

    Blog text (16)
  • THERE ARE CERTAIN SHADES OF LIMELIGHT THAT CAN WRECK A GIRL'S COMPLEXION.

  • They were powered by limelights and could be bright enough to throw a big image on the side of the building at night.

    Blog text (6)
  • [PLAYING LIMELIGHT]

  • [PLAYING LIMELIGHT]

  • Up close, Freddy looked a bit dull; in fact, he was downright dense, but Olive didn't notice as she peered at him through the dim limelight.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Her dark face was unreadable as she stood in the dust of the stage wings, the bare boards drafty, the huge canvas backdrops hanging on their pulleys over their heads, the limelight dead.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Gosta Bergman studies the transition in theater lighting during the nineteenth century from gaslight to limelight and the electric arc lamp (z33-300).

    Academic text (1997)
  • Ghostly blue-white limelight, fed by compressed oxygen and coal gas, threw shadows into every corner and across the roof, which hung oppressively low, a constant reminder of the thousands of tons of stone and wood bearing down.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The actor stood in the limelight while delivering his powerful monologue on stage.

Synonyms

spotlight
vslimelight
49 2.9

A strong focused lamp that lights one person or a small area on stage

is a broad bright flame-based light rather than a tight focused beam
spot
vslimelight
  • Informal
27 5.5

A bright focused light that shines on a performer

is based on a flame method producing a brighter general stage glow
firelight
vslimelight
14 2.6

Soft light from a fire in a room or fireplace

is a precise stage technique using flame and lime to produce intense white light
light source
vslimelight
12 3.0

A thing like a lamp or candle that makes a place bright so you can see

is a specific theatrical flame-based emitter rather than any general source
beam of light
vslimelight
12 2.5

A narrow line of light from a lamp or the sun

is a specific theater technique using a flame to make an intense white beam
floodlight
vslimelight
9 3.4

A very bright light that shines over a large area, like a stadium

is narrower and aimed at performers rather than lighting large areas
flood
vslimelight
  • Specialized
9 6.3

A bright lamp with a wide beam used to light a stage or set

is a specific flame-based theatrical source, not a general broad beam fixture
gaslight
vslimelight
  • Archaic
3 9.9

Light produced by burning gas for street or home use

is a flame method using lime rather than burning gas to make white light
torchlight
vslimelight
3 3.3

Light from fire that people carry to see in the dark

is a controlled theatrical flame aimed to create a bright white effect
luminaire
vslimelight
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A complete electric light unit that holds a bulb and other parts

is a historical flame technique, not an electric assembled lighting unit
calcium light
vslimelight
  • Archaic
9.9

A very bright stage light made by heating a block of lime with a flame

is the historical theatrical term for the same lighting method
theater light
vslimelight
  • Specialized
3.2

A light that shines on actors and the stage during performances

is specific to a flame method rather than general stage fixtures

Idioms

Getting a lot of public attention

How Bright

floodlight
9 3.4
limelight
  • Archaic
1 8.2
spotlight
49 2.9
lamplight
8 2.8
candlelight
61 2.0

Surface Forms

limelight singular
limelights plural

Morphology

limelight = lime + light (semi-transparent) = lime + light

The compound literally combines 'lime' and 'light', but the meaning refers to a specific historical stage-lighting technique that learners may not know.

Etymology

Limelight named a 19th century stage lamp that used heated lime, a white material, to produce a very bright white light on the stage.