Meaning & use
sparkle
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To shine with many small, quick flashes of light.
Grammar: No object; often followed by with or in: sparkle in the sun.
Patterns
- sparkle with something
- sparkle in the light
The frost sparkled on the grass in the morning sun.
Her ring sparkled whenever she moved her hand.
The lake sparkled with thousands of tiny reflections.
verbintransitivefigurative
To be lively, clever and charming, so that people enjoy being near you.
Grammar: Often about people or performances: sparkle with wit.
Patterns
- sparkle with wit
- sparkle in an interview
Her speech sparkled with humor.
He didn't sparkle at the interview, but he answered well.
The conversation sparkled all evening.
nouncountable or uncountable
A tiny flash of light, or the glitter produced by lots of them.
Grammar: Singular for one flash, uncountable for the general effect: a sparkle in her eyes, some sparkle on the dress.
Patterns
- a sparkle of something
- the sparkle of something
There was a sparkle of sunlight on the water.
The dress had plenty of sparkle for the party.
noununcountable
Liveliness, energy and wit that make a person or a performance attractive.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: the show lacked sparkle.
Patterns
- lack sparkle
- add sparkle to something
The singer had real sparkle on stage.
A few jokes would add sparkle to the speech.
Word forms
| third person singular | sparkles |
|---|---|
| past tense | sparkled |
| past participle | sparkled |
| -ing form | sparkling |
Common combinations
- sparkle in the sun
- The sea sparkled in the sun.
- sparkle with joy
- Her eyes sparkled with joy.
- lack sparkle
- The second half of the game lacked sparkle.
- add sparkle
- A little glitter will add sparkle to the card.
- sparkle with wit
- His writing sparkles with wit.
- sparkle of light
- A sparkle of light caught her eye.
Synonyms and how they differ
- glitter
- Glitter suggests a harder, more showy shine, often from metal or jewels, while sparkle is lighter and more cheerful.
- twinkle
- Twinkle suggests a soft, unsteady shine, like stars or a friendly eye.
- shimmer
- Shimmer is a softer, wavering light, while sparkle gives sharp flashes.
- flash
- Flash is a single sudden burst of light rather than repeated small ones.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sparkle or spark? sparkle or glitter?
sparkle vs spark
A spark is a small bit of fire or electricity, while sparkle describes repeated glittering light.
sparkle vs glitter
Glitter is a harder, showier shine.
Practice
Which sentence uses sparkle in its figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Here sparkle describes a conversation being lively and clever, not light. In the other options sparkle is about actual flashes of light.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sparkle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.