Dazzling
/ˈdæz.l̩.ɪŋ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbpresent participle and gerund of dazzle
adjExtremely bright, especially so as to blind the eyes temporarily; bright to the degree that dazzles.
Sentence Examples
The noonday sun beat down with dazzling brightness on the tennis court.
It was as gloomy inside the mansion as the sunlight was dazzling outside.
His negotiations, far from ending in failure, achieved dazzling success.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ diamond necklace caught everyone's attention at the gala.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The noonday sun beat down with ____ brightness on the tennis court.
Word Origin & History
dazzle + -ing.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[H]is ſupercilious glances grevv humbled, yea, his dazeling ſplendor (eclipſt in the ſetting [i.e., death] of his Maſter) becomes quickly darkned: […]"
— 1638, Tho[mas] Herbert, Some Yeares Travels Into Divers Parts of Asia and Afrique. […], 2nd edition, London: […] R[ichard] Bi[sho]p for Iacob Blome and Richard Bishop, →OCLC, book II, page 206:
"There is something in intense suffering that seeks concealment, something that is fain to belie itself. In Cooper's novel of the "Bravo," Jacques conceals himself and his boat, by lying where the moonlight fell dazzling on the water. We do the same with any great despair, we shroud it in a glittering atmosphere of smiles and jests; but the smiles are sneers, and the jests are sarcasms."
— 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Success”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 80:
"The deafening claps of thunder and the dazzling flashes of lightning which lit up the ghastly scene testified that the artillery of heaven had lent its supernatural pomp to the already gruesome spectacle."
— 1922 February, James Joyce, Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
"Driving 2-6-2 locomotive No. 4771 Green Arrow, Blunt suddenly noticed that the tunnel mouth was silhouetted in a dazzling white glare and that incendiary bombs were showering down in their hundreds, he slammed on all his brakes and brought his train to a stop just inside the tunnel."
— 1944 July and August, “Top Link Drivers: XXI—Driver H. Blunt, L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 226:
"Oakland native [Andre] Ward is now unbeaten in 25 fights and can now claim to be one of the top few pound-for-pound fighters on the planet after a technically dazzling display."
— 2011 December 18, Ben Dirs, “Carl Froch outclassed by dazzling Andre Ward”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ diamond necklace caught everyone's attention at the gala.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The noonday sun beat down with ____ brightness on the tennis court.