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Glite Dictionary
✨ To shine brightly ⚡ To be lively 💎 A bright shine 😊 Lively look 🥂 To bubble
to sparkle

to sparkle

20 3.5
To be lively and show skill, charm, or energy
  • verb
  • /ˈspɑrkəl/
translation icon : brillar
  • This is where we sparkle.

We can sparkle science talk using this in a classroom.

Examples

  • Just look at the way her eyes sparkle.

    Enchanted (2007)

  • "You know why I knew you'd come back?" he asked, and his eyes sparkled mischievously as in the old days.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I wanna sparkle with the illusion of youth.

    The Bounty Hunter (2010)

  • You know, your eyes, they sparkle when you're smiling.

    Creature (2011)

  • Karl's blue eyes sparkled as he reached for the shoes and put them on.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The tired lines had vanished from her face; she was smiling and her eyes sparkled as she introduced me.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • "His blue eyes sparkled with excitement, and his fingers drummed on the steering wheel."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • This great city sparkles with the jewels of man's inventions.

    Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

  • Her lively brown eyes sparkled, and her arms hugged her knees as she rocked back and forth.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Her performance at the concert made her sparkle with energy and charm.

Synonyms

to gleam
vsto sparkle
70 1.9

To shine softly, often on a smooth or wet surface

conveys more active liveliness and energetic charm than calm shine
to dazzle
vsto sparkle
63 4.1

To amaze people with great skill, beauty, or clever ideas

expresses inner liveliness and charm rather than causing strong awe
to shine
vsto sparkle
31 2.5

To look healthy, happy, or full of color in the face

adds energetic brilliance and skill to that happy, glowing appearance
to twinkle
vsto sparkle
26 1.5

To shine with small quick flashes of light, often in eyes or stars

uses general lively charm and skill rather than simple flickering brightness
to scintillate
vsto sparkle
3 9.3

To be lively, clever, and very skillful in speech or art

focuses more on general energy and charm than focused performance
to spangle
vsto sparkle
1 7.4

To shine as if covered with small shiny pieces

means active, brilliant charm and skill rather than decorative glitter
to glister
vsto sparkle
  • Archaic
1 8.8

To shine with small bright flashes

adds lively energy and charm rather than only visual brightness
to coruscate
vsto sparkle
  • Literature
9.9

To show great skill and lively energy

is about lively charm and energy rather than formal virtuosity

How Impressive

to dazzle
63 4.1
to excel
58 3.7
to shine
138 3.6
to sparkle
20 3.5
to do well
520 1.2

Surface Forms

sparkle infinitive
sparkled past
sparkled past participle
sparkling present participle
sparkles third person singular

Morphology

sparkle = spark (semi-transparent) = spark + le

This sense is a metaphorical extension meaning 'to show liveliness or brilliance'; the link to 'spark' is inferable but not strictly literal.

Etymology

Sparkle uses the idea of a spark, a small bright flash, and by extension a sign of quick energy or talent, like a 'spark' of genius. So, to sparkle in a performance is to show lively energy or brilliant skill.