glimmer
UK /ˈɡlɪməː/ · US /ˈɡlɪmɚ/ noun, verb
Forms glimmers glimmering glimmered
- noun A faint light; a dim glow. “The glimmer of the fireflies was pleasant to watch.”
- noun A flash of light.
- noun (figurative) A faint or remote possibility (as it were a flash of light).
- noun (dated, uncountable) Mica.
- noun (psychology, neologism) A subtle, positive micromoment that evokes feelings of joy, safety, calm, or connection.
- verb (intransitive) To shine with a faint, unsteady light. “the glimmering dawn a glimmering lamp”
Synonyms
flicker shimmer sparkle glimpse comfort twinkle coruscate flash gleam glitter glisten luster sheen shine gleaming inkling intimation glimmering
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English glimeren, glemeren (“to glimmer”), equivalent to glim (“to shine”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with German Low German glimmern (“to glimmer”), German glimmern (“to glimmer”), Danish glimre (“to glimmer”), Swedish glimra (“to glimmer”). Doublet of glimpse. Sense 5 was coined in the 2020s in analogy to trigger.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To give feeble or scattered rays of light; to shine faintly; to show a faint, unsteady light; as, the glimmering dawn; a glimmering lamp.
- noun A faint, unsteady light; feeble, scattered rays of light; also, a gleam.
- noun Mica. See Mica. Woodsward. Glimmer gowk, an owl. [Prov. Eng.]
Etymology [Akin to G. glimmer a faint, trembling light, mica, glimmern to glimmer, glimmen to shine faintly, glow, Sw. glimma, Dan. glimre, D. glimmen, glimpen. See Gleam a ray, and cf. Glimpse.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “glimmer”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details