gleam
To shine softly with light.
gleam in a sentence
- The polished trophies gleamed on the shelf in the afternoon sun.
- We polished the old brass lamp for an hour until it began to gleam like new.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to gleam?
- Ashine
- Bdull
- Cdim
- Ddarken
Show the answer
A: shine. The other three mean the opposite of gleam.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to gleam?
- Aglow
- Bsparkle
- Cshine
- Ddarken
Show the answer
D: darken. The other three mean nearly the same as gleam.
Words that mean something similar
shine, glow, sparkle
Words that mean the opposite
darken, dull, dim
Careful: gleam is not glisten
Glisten is the shine of something wet. Gleam is the shine of something clean or polished. Read why children mix them up.
More words about light & dark
- glimmer: To shine with a faint, unsteady light; or that faint light.
- glisten: To shine and sparkle, often because something is wet.
- gloomy: Dark, dull and a little sad.
- ignite: To set something on fire or make it start burning.
- illuminate: To light something up.
- indistinct: Not clear enough to see or hear properly.
- inferno: A huge, fierce fire that is out of control.
- kindle: To start a fire, or to stir up a feeling.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test