glistening

IPA/ˈɡlɪs.ən/
KK[ɡlˈɪsənɪŋ]IPA/ˈɡlɪs.ən/

glistening — verb

  • glisteningpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • glistenings3rd person singular
  • glisteninging-ing form
  • glisteningedpast simple

1. to shine with small, bright flashes of reflected light because the surface is we

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to shine with small, bright flashes of reflected light because the surface is wet, oily, or smooth — for example, dew glistening on grass after sunrise, or a person's face glistening with sweat after exercise.

Example

The dew on the grass glistened in the early morning light.

glisten + in + [time of day/light source]

Anya's cheeks were still glistening with tears after the argument.

glisten + with + [liquid]

Common collocations
  • glisten with dew
  • glisten with sweat
  • glisten with tears
  • glisten in the sun
  • glisten under the light
  • glisten on the grass
Synonyms
  • gleam

    a steadier, softer shine, often from a polished surface rather than a wet one

  • glitter

    small flashes from many tiny points, like diamonds or sequins

  • shimmer

    a soft, wavering shine, like heat haze or silk

  • sparkle

    lively, dancing flashes of light, often cheerful in tone

Antonyms
  • dull

    lacking any shine or brightness

  • darken

    to become darker and lose shine

Grammar Patterns

glisten + with + noun

glisten + in/on/under + noun (light source)

Usage Note

Glisten typically describes reflected light from wet, oily, or smooth surfaces — not light emitted by a source itself (stars do not glisten; they twinkle). The verb is often followed by 'with' to name the substance causing the shine: glisten with dew, glisten with sweat, glisten with tears.

Common Mistakes

The stars glistened in the night sky.
The stars twinkled in the night sky.
Glisten describes reflected light from wet or smooth surfaces, not light from stars.
The diamond glistened on her finger.
The diamond sparkled on her finger.
Diamonds sparkle or shine; glisten suggests a wet or oily surface.

glistening — adjective

Word family

  • glisten
    verbB2
  • glisteningly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe light reflecting from a surface, but each has a different feel. Shine is the broadest, everyday word — the sun shines, shoes shine, a person's face can shine with happiness. Gleam is a steadier, softer light, often from a polished or clean surface ('the floor gleamed after being waxed'). Glitter suggests lots of tiny, bright points of light, like sequins or frost ('the snow glittered in the streetlight'). Sparkle is livelier and more cheerful than glitter — think of bubbles in a drink or a child's eyes. Shimmer is a soft, wavering shine, like the surface of a lake in a breeze or heat rising off hot asphalt. Glisten differs from all of these by strongly implying a wet, oily, or sweaty surface — while a diamond sparkles and a floor gleams, a face after a run glistens.

shine ↗gleamglitter ↗sparkle ↗shimmer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Glisten comes from Old English glisnian, meaning 'to shine, glitter'. It is related to Old English glisian ('to shine') and glæs ('glass'). The word has been used in English since before the 1100s and has always described a bright, reflective shine — often from something wet or smooth.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined above