| Learning / English Dictionary |
SHINING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or waxing it
Example:
every Sunday he gave his car a good polishing
Synonyms:
polishing; shining
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("shining" is a kind of...):
work (activity directed toward making or doing something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shining"):
shoeshine (the act of shining shoes)
Derivation:
shine (make (a surface) shine)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Reflecting light
Example:
shining white enamel
Synonyms:
glistening; glossy; lustrous; sheeny; shining; shiny
Classified under:
Similar:
bright (emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing; reflecting a sheen or glow
Example:
shiny black patents
Synonyms:
bright; burnished; lustrous; shining; shiny
Classified under:
Similar:
polished (perfected or made shiny and smooth)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Marked by exceptional merit
Example:
a shining example
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
superior (of high or superior quality or performance)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb shine
Context examples:
It was a clear day, and the sun was shining.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
He opened the basket, and in a minute he had the table all shining with silver and glass, and studded with dainty dishes.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The light was yet there, shining dim but constant through the rain.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
It was strange to see the snow falling in such heavy flakes close to us, and beyond, the sun shining more and more brightly as it sank down towards the far mountain tops.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
The sun was shining bright and warm.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
The twilight had closed in and the moon was shining brightly in the sky before my narrative was finished.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
As it approached nearer over the place where I was, it appeared to be a firm substance, the bottom flat, smooth, and shining very bright, from the reflection of the sea below.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
Returning through the large and lofty hall, they ascended a broad staircase of shining oak, which, after many flights and many landing-places, brought them upon a long, wide gallery.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
In an instant he was tense and alert, his eyes shining, his face set, his limbs quivering with eager activity.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Human kindness was like a sun shining upon him, and he flourished like a flower planted in good soil.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
