Scintillated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To produce flashes of light or gleam while also displaying enthusiasm and brightness in demeanor or remarkably complex thoughts and concepts
2. To shine with bright sparks or radiate excitement while simultaneously conveying intricate and vivid ideas among individuals
3. Sent out sparks or small flashes of light ; showed a lively or brilliant personality or intellect

Etymology: "Scintillated" is the past tense of "scintillate," a word that came into English from Latin scintillāre, meaning "to sparkle, glitter, gleam, flash." That Latin verb grew from scintilla, "a spark," so the core image is a tiny, quick burst of light. Think of a spark leaping from a fire or a flicker off a polished surface. English kept the physical sense of rapid flashing for centuries, and it is still the sense most readers meet first in descriptions of stars, jewels, or water catching the sun. The figurative extension to lively wit, animated conversation, and quick, brilliant thinking grew out of that same flash-of-light picture, so a "scintillating" mind is one that sparks off ideas in rapid succession.

Synonyms: sparkled, twinkled, glimmered, shimmered, flickered

Antonyms: dull, dimmed, faded