Basic Guidelines For English Spellings
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light1
See US English definition of light
See UK English definition of light
See Spanish definition of luz
noun
1‘the houses had only the shadowy light of candles and oil lamps’
SYNONYMS
illumination, brightness, luminescence, luminosity, shining, gleaming, gleam, brilliance, radiance, lustre, glowing, glow, blaze, glare, dazzle
incandescence, phosphorescence
sunlight, moonlight, starlight, lamplight, firelight, electric light, gaslight
ray of light, shaft of light, beam of light
rare effulgence, refulgence, lambency, fulguration
ANTONYMS
darkness
2‘there was a light on in the hall’
SYNONYMS
lamp, flashlight
headlight, headlamp, sidelight
wall light
street light, floodlight
lantern, candle, taper, beacon
British torch, standard lamp
3‘have you got a light?’
SYNONYMS
match, lighter, cigarette lighter, flame, spark, source of fire
4‘don't worry, we'll be driving in the light and we won't have to go fast’
SYNONYMS
daylight, light of day, natural light, sunlight
daylight hours, daytime, day, hours of sunlight
ANTONYMS
darkness, night-time
5‘he saw the problem in a different light’
SYNONYMS
aspect, angle, slant, approach, interpretation, viewpoint, standpoint, context, point of view, vantage point
appearance, guise, hue, complexion
6‘light dawned on Loretta, and she launched herself into her part’
SYNONYMS
understanding, enlightenment, illumination, comprehension, insight, awareness, knowledge, elucidation, explanation, clarification, edification
ANTONYMS
ignorance
7‘an eminent legal light’
SYNONYMS
expert, authority, master, leader, guru
leading light, guiding light, luminary, celebrity, dignitary, public figure, worthy, VIP, big name, star
informal bigwig, big gun, big shot, big noise, celeb
8‘he served his party loyally according to his lights’
SYNONYMS
talent, skill, ability
intelligence, mental powers, intellect, knowledge, understanding
verb
1‘Alan gathered sticks and lit a fire’
SYNONYMS
set alight, set light to, set burning, set on fire, set fire to, put a match to, set a match to, ignite, kindle, burn, spark, spark off, fire, touch off, start, torch
archaic enkindle
ANTONYMS
extinguish, put out
adjective
1‘a cool and light breakfast room adjoins the bar’
SYNONYMS
bright, full of light, well lit, well lighted, well illuminated, sunny, sunshiny, undimmed, brilliant
ANTONYMS
dark, gloomy
2‘a subtle colour scheme of light pastel shades’
SYNONYMS
light-coloured, light-toned, pale, pale-coloured, pastel, pastel-coloured
whitish, faded, faint, weak, bleached
ANTONYMS
dark
3‘a young woman with light hair’
SYNONYMS
fair, light-coloured, blonde, golden, flaxen, yellow
ANTONYMS
dark, brunette
light2
See US English definition of light
See UK English definition of light
See Spanish definition of luz
adjective
1‘it's light, portable, and you can use it anywhere’
SYNONYMS
easy to lift, not heavy, weighing very little, lightweight
easy to carry, portable, transportable, weightless, insubstantial, airy
ANTONYMS
heavy
2‘a light cotton robe’
SYNONYMS
flimsy, lightweight, insubstantial, thin
delicate, floaty, gauzy, sheer, gossamer, diaphanous, transparent, translucent, see-through
ANTONYMS
heavy, thick
3‘she seemed as light on her feet as a dancer’
SYNONYMS
nimble, deft, agile, lithe, limber, lissom, flexible, supple, adroit, graceful, acrobatic, lively, active, quick, quick-moving, spry, sprightly
light-footed, fleet-footed
informal twinkle-toed, nippy
literary fleet, lightsome
ANTONYMS
clumsy
4‘cotton lavender needs a dry sunny situation in light soil’
SYNONYMS
friable, sandy, easily dug, workable
crumbly, not dense, loose, porous
ANTONYMS
dense
5‘a light dinner’
SYNONYMS
small, modest, scanty, simple, skimpy, frugal, not heavy, not rich, not large
easily digested, digestible
ANTONYMS
heavy, rich
6‘I was put on light duties’
SYNONYMS
easy, simple, undemanding, untaxing, unexacting, not burdensome, moderate, endurable, bearable, tolerable
informal cushy
ANTONYMS
hard, burdensome
7‘his eyes gleamed with light mockery’
SYNONYMS
gentle, mild, moderate, slight
playful, light-hearted, easy-going
witty, dry
ANTONYMS
serious
8‘light entertainment’
SYNONYMS
entertaining, lightweight, diverting, recreative, undemanding, easily understood, middle-of-the-road
amusing, humorous, funny, chucklesome, witty, light-hearted
frivolous, unserious, superficial, trivial, trifling
ANTONYMS
serious, deep
9‘I pitched into the chores with a light heart’
SYNONYMS
carefree, light-hearted, cheerful, cheery, happy, merry, jolly, blithe, bright, sunny, untroubled
buoyant, vivacious, bubbly, jaunty, bouncy, breezy, optimistic, positive, upbeat, ebullient, easy-going, free and easy, happy-go-lucky
dated gay
10‘this is no light matter’
SYNONYMS
unimportant, insignificant, trivial, trifling, petty, worthless, inconsequential, inconsiderable, superficial
ANTONYMS
serious, important
11‘he heard light footsteps’
SYNONYMS
gentle, delicate, soft, dainty, graceful
faint, indistinct
ANTONYMS
heavy
12‘her heart was pounding and her head felt light’
SYNONYMS
dizzy, giddy, light-headed, faint, unsteady
informal woozy, funny
dated queer
rare vertiginous
Phrases
- come to light
‘the thefts came to light early last year’
SYNONYMS
be discovered, be uncovered, be unearthed, appear, come out, transpire, become known, become apparent, materialize, emerge, crop up, turn up, show up, pop up
ANTONYMS
remain secret, remain hidden
‘a serious case of corruption within government was first brought to light by an internal audit’
SYNONYMS
reveal, disclose, expose, uncover, show up, lay bare, unveil, manifest, unearth, dig up, dig out, turn up, bring to notice, detect, identify, dredge up, smoke out, root out, ferret out, hunt out, nose out
ANTONYMS
hush up, keep secret
‘he believed that if he could talk to his opponents, he could make them see the light’
SYNONYMS
understand, realize
informal cotton on, catch on, get the message, get the picture, have an aha moment
British informal twig
‘even the Vatican has seen the light and is using the technology to manage its library’
SYNONYMS
understand, comprehend, realize, find out, see daylight, work out what's going on, get the point
informal cotton on, catch on, tumble, latch on, get the picture, get the message, get the drift, get it, get wise, see what's what, savvy
British informal twig
‘I see no reason, in the light of these reports, to abandon our current policy’
SYNONYMS
taking into consideration, considering, taking into account, bearing in mind, keeping in mind, mindful of, taking note of, in view of
‘no one could shed any light on the mysterious car accident’
SYNONYMS
explain, elucidate, clarify, clear up, give an explanation for, give an explanation of, offer an explanation for, offer an explanation of, make clear, make plain, interpret, comment on
1‘a flare lit up the night sky’
SYNONYMS
make bright, brighten, illuminate, make brighter, lighten, cast light on, shed light on, throw light on, shine on, irradiate, flood with light, floodlight
literary illumine
2‘her enthusiasm lit up her face’
SYNONYMS
animate, irradiate, brighten, make cheerful, cheer up, enliven
‘the dashboard lit up’
SYNONYMS
become bright, brighten, become brighter, lighten, flash, shine, gleam, flare, blaze, glint, sparkle, flicker, shimmer, glisten, scintillate, glare, beam
rare coruscate, fulgurate
‘I don't want to make light of a serious issue’
SYNONYMS
play down, downplay, understate, underrate, rate too low, not do justice to, do an injustice to, underplay, de-emphasize, underemphasize, trivialize, minimize, diminish, downgrade, reduce, lessen, brush aside, gloss over, shrug off
informal soft-pedal, sell short
rare misprize, minify
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