light

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

I

adj. airy (see levity); frivolous, jesting, jocular, lightsome; giddy, dizzy, flighty; wanton; nimble, agile; flippant, pert, insouciant; humorous; trivial. See cheerfulness, unimportance, impurity, changeableness. Ant., heavy; dark.

II

Illumination

Nouns

1. light, ray, beam, stream, gleam, streak, pencil; sunbeam, moonbeam, aurora, day, sunshine, light of day, sun, daylight, daybreak, noonday, sunlight; moonlight, starlight. Informal, lite.

2. (intermittent light) glow, glimmer[ing]; glitter, shimmer, flicker, glint; spark, scintilla, sparkle, scintillation, flash, blaze, coruscation, flame, fire, lightning bolt.

3. (radiant light) luster, sheen, gloss; tinsel, spangle; brightness, brilliancy, splendor, effulgence, dazzle, glare, resplendence, dazzlement, phosphorescence, incandescence, fluorescence, luminousness, luminosity, lucidity, radiation, irradiation, radiance, illumination, reflection, refraction; diffraction, dispersion.

4. (science of light) photology, photometry, photics, optics, catoptrics, photography, heliography, radioscopy, holography, optronics; quantum theory of light; spectrum, ultraviolet, or infrared light, black or white light, coherent light, incident light, polarized light, monochromatic or polychromatic light; lumen, candela, candle[power].

5. (source of light) luminary, illuminant; electric, fluorescent, arc, neon, gas, halogen, etc. light, Tensor light, track lighting; candlelight, lamplight, firelight; laser; candle, taper, [arm, desk, floor, gooseneck, phoebe, table, Tiffany, or Venetian] lamp, torch, torchiere, brand, flambeau, [Chinese] lantern, searchlight, flashlight, nightlight; bulb, globe, mantle, jet; chandelier, candelabrum, sconce, candlestick; limelight, footlights, spotlight; rocket, flare, beacon, flasher; fireworks, pyrotechnics; halo, aureole, nimbus, gloriole, aura, glory. Slang, glim.

Verbs

1. shine, glow, glitter, spangle, glister, glisten, flicker, twinkle, gleam, flare, glare, beam, shimmer, glimmer, sparkle, scintillate, coruscate, flash, glint, blaze, be bright, reflect light, dazzle, radiate, shoot out beams; beat down.

2. lighten, enlighten; light [up], clear up, brighten, irradiate, shine, give or shed light, throw light upon, illume, illumine, illuminate; strike a light, kindle.

Adjectives

1. shining, alight, luminous, luminescent, lucid, lucent, luciferous, light, lightsome, bright, vivid, resplendent, lustrous, shiny, beamy, scintillant, radiant, lambent; glossy, sunny, cloudless, clear, unclouded; glinting, gleaming, beaming, effulgent, splendid, resplendent, glorious, blazing, brilliant, ablaze, meteoric, phosphorescent, glowing; lighted, lit, ablaze, on.

2. actinic, photographic, heliographic, optic, optical, holographic.

Quotations — She [Eleanor Roosevelt] would rather light candles than curse the darkness, and her glow has warmed the world (Adlai Stevenson), And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Bible), It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness (Christopher Society), Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Bible), We are a nation of communities... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky (George H. W. Bush).

Antonyms, see darkness.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Having illumination]

Syn. illuminated, radiant, luminous; see bright 1 .

2. [Having color]

Syn. vivid, rich, clear; see bright 2 .

3. [Having little content]

Syn. superficial, slight, frivolous; see trivial , unimportant .

4. [Having gaiety and spirit]

Syn. lively, merry, animated; see jaunty .

5. [Having little weight]

Syn. airy, fluffy, feathery, imponderable, slender, downy, floating, lighter than air, light as air, floatable, gossamery, light as a feather, frothy, buoyant, easy, dainty, filmy, veil-like, tissuelike, thin, sheer, gaseous, effervescent, unsubstantial, insubstantial, ethereal, graceful, charming, weightless, atmospheric; see also volatile 1 .

Ant. heavy*, ponderous, weighty.

6. [Digestible]

Syn. slight, edible, moderate; see edible .

7. [Small in quantity or number]

Syn. wee, small, tiny, minute, thin, inadequate, minuscule, insufficient, hardly enough, not much, hardly any, not many, slender, scanty, slight, moderate, puny, sparse, fragmentary, fractional, shredlike; see also dainty 1 , few .

Ant. large*, great, immense.

8. [Wanton]

Syn. carnal, immodest, indecent; see lewd 2 , sensual .

• make light of,

Syn. make fun of, mock, belittle; see neglect 1 , ridicule .

n.

1. [The condition opposed to darkness]

Syn. radiance, luminous energy, luminosity, brilliance, splendor, irradiation, glare, brightness, clearness, lightness, brilliancy, coruscation, incandescence, scintillation, shine, fulgor, refulgence, emanation, lucency, luster, sheen, sparkle, glitter, glow, glimmer, glister, effulgence, resplendence, flood of light, blare, radiation, gleam.

Ant. darkness*, blackness, blankness.

2. [Emanations from a source of light]

Syn. radiation, stream, blaze; see beam 2 , flash 1 , ray .

3. [A source of light]

Syn. lamp, lantern, match, wick, sun, planet, star, moon, lightning, torch, flashlight, chandelier, spotlight, halo, nimbus, northern lights, aurora borealis, aureole, corona; see also bulb , candle , lamp .

4. [Day]

Syn. daylight, daytime, sun, sunrise; see day 2 .

5. [Aspect]

Syn. point of view, condition, standing; see circumstances 2 .

6. [Basis for understanding]

Syn. enlightenment, information, education; see data , knowledge 1 .

• in light of,

Syn. with knowledge of, because of, in view of, in consideration of; see considering .

• see the light (of day),

Syn.

7. come into being, exist, begin; see be .

8. comprehend, realize, be aware; see understand 1 .

• stand in one's own light,

Syn. harm oneself, act carelessly, act thoughtlessly, err; see fail 1 .

• strike a light,

Syn. inflame, cause to burn, kindle; see burn 2 , ignite .

v.

1. [To provide light]

Syn. illuminate, illumine, illume, lighten, give light to, shine upon, furnish with light, light up, turn on the electricity, make a light, make visible, provide adequate illumination, provide adequate candlepower, turn on a light, switch on a light, floodlight, throw light upon, make bright, flood with light, animate, fill with light, irradiate; see also brighten 1 .

Ant. shade*, put out, darken.

2. [To cause to ignite]

Syn. inflame, spark, kindle; see burn 2 , ignite .

3. [To become ignited]

Syn. take fire, become inflamed, flame; see burn 1 , ignite .

4. [To come to rest from flight or travel]

Syn. perch, roost, rest, alight, fly down, come down, disembark, settle on, stop, drop, sit down, debus, come to rest, get down, detrain, unhorse, settle down; see also arrive 1 .

Ant. fly*, soar off, take off.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

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n.

1. radiance luminescence, illumination, radiation, glow, shine, incandescence, effulgence, flash, glare, brilliance, glimmer.

2. lamp beacon, lantern, candle, torch, flare.

ANT.: 1. dark, gloom, blackness

II

v.

1. illuminate spotlight, shine, irradiate, brighten.

2. ignite kindle, spark, set fire to, inflame.

3. getdown descend, alight, land, settle, perch.

ANT.: 1. darken, dim. 2. extinguish, douse

III

a.

1. bright illuminated, radiant, brilliant, shining, luminous, glowing, aglow, well-lit, lambent, sunny, gleaming.

2. pale faded, fair, bleached, blanched, washed-out.

3. of weight weightless, slight, ethereal, *featherlight, wispy, insubstantial, airy, lighter than air, unheavy, sheer, scant.

4. weak mild, slight, soft, faint, gentle.

5. simple easy, effortless, undemanding, untaxing, *no sweat.

6. cheerful humorous, amusing, gay, merry, blithe, funny, entertaining, frivolous, trifling.

ANT.: 1. dark, black, gloomy. 2. dark, deep, vivid. 3. heavy, hefty, massive. 4. strong, powerful, hard, harsh. 5. hard, demanding, taxing. 6. *heavy, deep, serious

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To cause to burn or undergo combustion: enkindle, fire, ignite, kindle. Slang: torch. Idioms: set afire (or on fire), set fire to. See HOT, START. 2. To provide, cover, or fill with light: illume, illuminate, illumine, lighten1. See LIGHT. 3. To make lively or animated: animate, brighten, enliven. See HAPPY. II adjective Of a light color or complexion: alabaster, fair, ivory, pale. See COLORS. III verb To come to rest on the ground: alight1, land, set down, settle, touch down. See MOVE.

V

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. Electromagnetic radiation that makes vision possible: illumination. See LIGHT. 2. The act of physically illuminating or the condition of being rilled with light: illumination, lighting. See LIGHT. 3. The particular angle from which something is considered: angle2, aspect, facet, frame of reference, hand, phase, regard, respect, side. See PERSPECTIVE. 4. Archaic. The faculty of seeing: eye, eyesight, seeing, sight, vision. See SEE.

VI

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Having little weight; not heavy: lightweight, weightless. Idiom: light as a feather. See HEAVY. 2. Of small intensity: gentle, moderate, slight, soft. See STRONG. 3. Requiring little effort or exertion: easy, moderate. See EASY. 4. Amusing but essentially empty and frivolous: frothy. See SURFACE. 5. Free from care or worry: blithe, carefree, debonair, light-hearted. See CAREFUL, HAPPY. 6. Marked by an absence of conventional restraint in sexual behavior; sexually unrestrained: easy, fast, libertine, loose, wanton, whorish. See SEX.