glisten
To shine and sparkle, often because something is wet.
glisten in a sentence
- The morning dew glistened on the spider's web like a string of tiny diamonds.
- After the storm, the wet pebbles glisten along the shoreline like scattered marbles.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to glisten?
- Adarken
- Bsparkle
- Cdull
- Ddim
Show the answer
B: sparkle. The other three mean the opposite of glisten.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to glisten?
- Adull
- Bshine
- Cgleam
- Dsparkle
Show the answer
A: dull. The other three mean nearly the same as glisten.
Words that mean something similar
sparkle, shine, gleam
Words that mean the opposite
dull, darken, dim
Careful: glisten is not gleam
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
- 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.
- luminous: Giving off light, or glowing brightly.
- mellow: Soft, gentle and relaxed.
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