scintillante
The English adjective "glittering" translates to Italian as scintillante.
The word is used to describe something that is brightly sparkling.
Meaning: brightly sparkling (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The adjective scintillante is derived from the verb scintillare, which means to spark or to glitter.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the adjective is scintillanti.
Did you know?
- Italian uses scintillante to describe a 'glittering' career (una carriera scintillante), whereas English speakers might use 'stellar' or 'illustrious'.
- Despite the similarity to 'scintillating' in English, which often means witty or clever, scintillante in Italian is primarily used for physical light and rarely for intelligence.
- The term scintillare is often used in technical Italian to describe the 'arcing' of electricity, where a literal spark jumps between two points.
Examples in context
- Un cielo notturno stellato e scintillante illuminava l'oscurità.A glittering starry night sky illuminated the darkness.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe a starry and glittering night sky using scintillante.Tatoeba #13471110 by Nuel, translation #13471109 by Nuel
- Le stelle nel cielo sono splendenti stasera.The stars in the sky are glittering tonight.
- I gioielli erano luccicanti nella vetrina.The jewels were glittering in the shop window.
- Le luci della città erano scintillanti durante la serata di Capodanno.The city lights were glittering during New Year's Eve.
- Un abito splendido con perline scintillanti.A magnificent dress with glittering beads.
- Il mare scintillante riflette la luce del sole.The glittering sea reflects the sunlight.
Example conversation
Sofia and Francesco are looking at a jewelry display in a shop window.
- SofiaGuarda quel diamante così scintillante!Look at that diamond, so glittering!
- FrancescoÈ davvero bellissimo, Sofia.It is truly beautiful, Sofia.
- SofiaTi piacerebbe averlo per il tuo compleanno?Would you like to have it for your birthday?
- FrancescoSarebbe un regalo meraviglioso.It would be a wonderful gift.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry scintillante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
