Glimmer

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Glimmer

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun and verb

Pronunciation

GLIM-uh  /ˈɡlɪmə/

Definition

As a noun: a faint or unsteady light; a small sign or amount of something (a glimmer of hope). As a verb: to shine faintly or unsteadily; to appear or occur faintly.

Plain meaning

A glimmer is a faint, flickering light — smaller and less certain than a gleam. A glimmer of hope is an even smaller sign of hope than a gleam — barely perceptible but present.

Register

Evocative and slightly literary. Glimmer has a delicacy that makes it particularly effective in descriptive and figurative use. A glimmer of hope is more poignant than a gleam of hope precisely because it is so faint.