Glitteriest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting the highest degree of shine or sparkle, reflecting light in a dazzling way
2. Showing the greatest brilliance or shimmer, seeming bright and eye-catching
3. Having the utmost sparkle or twinkle, producing a visually striking gleam

Etymology: "Glitteriest" is an inflected form: the superlative of "glittery", meaning the most glittering of a set of things. It is built from "glittery," which is formed from "glitter" plus the suffix "-y," meaning "full of" or "having the quality of." The "-iest" ending is the regular superlative pattern that English attaches to adjectives ending in "-y," as in "happiest" or "rosiest." "Glitter" traces back through Middle English to Old English roots connected to the Old English verb "glitinian," meaning to shine or gleam. The deeper ancestry reaches into Proto-Germanic, where a root related to brightness and shining developed into the family of words English still uses for light and sparkle. The suffix "-y" in "glittery" has been part of English since Old English, when it was spelled "-ig," and it has been attached to nouns like "glitter" to produce adjectives describing things that are full of a quality.

Synonyms: sparkliest, shiniest, brightest, most luminous, most twinkling

Antonyms: dullest, faintest, most subdued, least shiny, less bright