lightning

adjective

Definition of lightningnext
as in rapid
moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed he made a lightning dash for the goal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning
  1. rapid
  2. quick
  3. fast
  4. brisk
  5. galloping
  6. swift
Adjective
  • The rapid adoption of renewable diesel produced a glut of credits, which reduced the incentives under the program, experts told Bay Area News Group.
    Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
  • Axon acknowledges the potential risks associated with its reliance on law enforcement agencies for a significant portion of its revenue, as well as the challenges posed by rapid technological changes and new competing products.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Definition of rapid
Adjective
  • Don’t be too quick to buy into something that is a fleeting desire.
    Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
  • This video raises a lot of questions, many of which commenters on the video were quick to point out.
    Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
Definition of quick
Adjective
  • Last week, bond yields surged on expectations that President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to lower tax rates, increase tariffs and reduce regulation could ultimately lead to higher U.S. government debt and inflation, along with faster economic growth.
    Alex Veiga, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
  • The Food and Drug Administration said in an update that the number of people sickened by the fast food bacteria outbreak has climbed from 90 to 104.
    Melvin Backman, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
Definition of fast
Adjective
  • The brisk pace of crime-solving leaves more time for this episode to stretch out a bit with the ongoing plot strands of Captain Wagner’s concerns about workplace morale and his team’s perception of him as a leader, and Kaya and Elsbeth’s friendship.
    Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Roll down the windows and breathe in the brisk, salty air.
    Tim Zientek, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of brisk
Adjective
  • As his health faded in the last year of his life, Neruda rushed to finish his story, which gives the last chapters of his book a galloping, fragmented quality.
    Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 June 2021
  • The artist was in Times Square last week to offer his latest corrective, unveiling a massive bronze statue of a young African American man in urban streetwear sitting astride a galloping horse.
    NBC News, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2019
Definition of galloping
Adjective
  • Desperate for answers on what went wrong on Election Day, finger-pointing among Democrats and media pundits has been swift.
    Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024
  • No matter, the response was swift and harsh from the often insulting and foul-mouthed Trump and other Republicans.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024
Definition of swift
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Phrases Containing lightning

Thesaurus Entries Near lightning

lightness

lightning

lightning rod

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on lightning

Nglish: Translation of lightning for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of lightning for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
silhouette of a man with a megaphone against a british flag
Another Great British Vocabulary Quiz, Innit? A double-decker quiz with words from across the pond