Shiny

ˈʃaɪni

adjectiveBeginner📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

Reflecting light; having a bright or lustrous appearance.

ˈʃaɪni

adjectivepositiveBeginner
General

Reflecting light; bright and polished.

The new car has a shiny coat of paint.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're looking at a brand-new, clean car. See how the sunlight bounces off it? That's what shiny is: anything that's reflecting light, like a mirror!

👶 For kids: When something is shiny, it looks bright and reflects light, like a star or a new toy!

More Examples

2

Her hair looked shiny and healthy.

3

The polished silverware was shiny on the table.

4

The child's eyes sparkled and were shiny with joy.

How It's Used

General

"The polished shoes looked shiny."

Descriptive

"She had shiny, dark hair."

Synonyms & Antonyms

From Middle English *shene*, meaning 'bright, shining', from Old English *scīne*.

The term has been used since Middle English to denote brightness and a polished surface, often in descriptions of beauty or wealth.

Memory tip

Think of a freshly polished car – it's shiny!

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"bright, shining"

shiny hairshiny shoesshiny surfaceshiny objectshiny appearance

Common misspellings

shineyshinny

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written