Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
coruscation

coruscation

9.9
A sudden bright flash of light or a quick, sharp display of wit
  • noun
  • /ˌkɔːr.əˈskeɪ.ʃən/
  • Literature
translation icon : coruscación
  • The chandelier flashed with a dazzling coruscation that caught everyone's attention.

Examples

  • They refract and reflect in an almost blinding coruscation of light.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The BEAMS meet, exploding into a dazzling coruscation!

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Shift to portside windows to peer back toward the Brittany coast; the Channel's coruscation backs off away.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The fireworks created a stunning coruscation that lit up the night sky.

  • As the sun set, the ocean's surface sparkled with a beautiful coruscation of light.

Synonyms

gleam
vscoruscation
34 2.9

A small, quick flash of light from a shiny surface

refers to a sudden bright display with stronger brilliance than a faint beam
glitter
vscoruscation
27 1.0

A bright, sparkling shine seen from far away

is focused on one sudden burst of light rather than continuous shimmer
sparkle
vscoruscation
17 1.6

A bright shine that makes small flashes of light

is a sudden, single display rather than an ongoing shining effect
twinkle
vscoruscation
9 2.3

A quick flash of light that appears for a moment

is a sudden show of brilliance, not small repeated glimmers
éclair
vscoruscation
  • Archaic
9.9

A sudden bright flash of light in the sky

is more about a sudden show of light or brilliance rather than common brightness
scintillation
vscoruscation
8.4

A short bright flash that looks like a sparkle

focuses on a single sudden display of light rather than repeated sparkles

Antonyms

darkness
534 1.0

A time or place with almost no light

obscurity
33 7.4

A time when a person or thing is unknown and not noticed

How Bright

dazzle
11 5.6
flare
39 3.7
coruscation
  • Literature
9.9
to sparkle
26 1.0
twinkle
9 2.3
to shimmer
51 4.3
glimmer
10 3.7

Surface Forms

coruscation singular
coruscations plural

Morphology

coruscation = coruscate (semi-transparent) = coruscate + ion

Formed regularly from the verb 'coruscate' with the noun-forming suffix '-ion', but both forms are rare and Latinate, so the relation may not be obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Coruscation comes from an old Latin word coruscare, which means 'to flash' or 'to glitter'. So a coruscation is like a sudden flash of light or a sparkling show of talent or ideas, which is why we use it for both bright lights and brilliant speech.