Sparkly
'spɑːrklɪ
Definitions
Having or emitting many small flashes of light; glittering.
'spɑːrklɪ
Shining with many small flashes of light.
The little girl's shoes were sparkly.
💡 Simply: Imagine a toy with a lot of little lights that twinkle. Anything that shines with tiny, bright lights is sparkly! Like a disco ball or a firefly at night.
👶 For kids: Something sparkly is like it has lots of tiny lights that shine.
More Examples
The Christmas tree was decorated with sparkly ornaments.
The jewelry shop displayed some sparkly earrings.
How It's Used
"The dress was covered in sparkly sequins."
"The starry night sky was sparkly and beautiful."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
From the word "sparkle", which originated in the late 16th century. It is a diminutive of the Middle English "sparken" meaning "to sparkle" or "to shine". The suffix "-y" is added to form an adjective, indicating possessing or characterized by sparkle.
The word 'sparkly' has been used in literature and everyday speech since at least the early 20th century to describe something that glitters or shines.
Memory tip
Think of a tiny light bulb, like a spark, repeated all over.
Word Origin
"spark (a small particle of light)"