sparkling
Syllables: spark·ling/ˈspɑːkl̩ɪŋ/US/ˈspɑɹkl̩ɪŋ/
sparkling is the present participle and gerund of sparkle.
sparkling is the ellipsis of sparkling water.
Adjective
sparkling (not comparable)
- Of an object, reflecting light as if giving off tiny sparks or flashes of light.
- "Methinks 't were sweet once more to see
Our native forest shade,
And the wild streamlet leaping free
Along the sparkling glade,...1827, Lydia Sigourney, Poems, Carloman and Merovee, page 78
- Synonyms:
- glistening, twinkling, ignescent
- "Methinks 't were sweet once more to see
- Of a beverage, especially an alcoholic beverage, containing dissolved carbon dioxide (either naturally or that has been added) that comes out of solution in the form of many tiny bubbles.
- Synonyms:
- fizzy
- Brilliant and vivacious.
- The outstanding train on the L.M.S. route was the 6.20 p.m. from Birmingham, which reached Euston in two hours after intermediate stops at Coventry, Rugby and Watford Junction, and evoked some sparkling performances from "Patriot" and "Jubilee" 4-6-0s.1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 98
- While we know – because the script tells us so – that the people we are watching are in love and in pain and in trouble, they never come across as more than dispensers of sparkling aperçus.2014 October 30, Ben Brantley, “When the head leads the heart: 'The Real Thing,' With Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal, opens on Broadway [print version: When the witty head is far ahead of the...
Noun
sparkling (plural sparklings)
- Act or appearance of something that sparkles; a sparkle; a gleam.
- Bright are the sparklings that beam from the dew.1820, Nathaniel John Hollingsworth, “Song”, in The Renegade and Other Poems
- A sparkling wine.
- Wines like this struggle to stand out on the show circuit, where the judges are more likely to be searching for sparklings designed in the classic Champagne mould.2011, Michael Cooper, 100 Must-try New Zealand Wines, page 208
Meaning of sparkle
Verb
sparkle (third-person singular simple present sparkles, present participle sparkling, simple past and past participle sparkled)
- To emit sparks; to throw off ignited or incandescent particles.
- The wood was sparkling in the bonfire.
- To shine as if throwing off sparks; to emit flashes of light; to scintillate; to twinkle.
- The stars sparkle in the sky.
- To manifest itself by, or as if by, emitting sparks; to glisten; to flash.
- I see bright honour sparkle through your eyes.1634, John Milton, “Arcades”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC
- To emit little bubbles, as certain kinds of liquors; to effervesce.
- sparkling wine
- To emit in the form or likeness of sparks.
- That the bright glister of their beames cleare / Did sparckle forth great light, and glorious did appeare.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 32
- To disperse.
Meaning of sparkling water
Noun
sparkling water (countable and uncountable, plural sparkling waters)
- Carbonated water served at table as drinking water; especially, such water as has a lot of bubbles (high carbonation).
- Near-synonyms: seltzer water, seltzer, club soda, carbonated water
- Synonyms:
- sparkling, fizzy water, soda water, static water, seltzer water, seltzer, club soda, carbonated water
- Antonyms:
- still water, still, flat water, flat, tap water
Synonyms of sparkling
Antonyms
Forms of sparkling
| plural | sparklings |
|---|
Origin of sparkling
By surface analysis, sparkle + -ing.
Words formed from sparkling
Phrases with sparkling
Questions about sparkling
- What does sparkling mean?
- Sparkling means of an object, reflecting light as if giving off tiny sparks or flashes of light.
- What is sparkling the present participle and gerund of?
- Sparkling is the present participle and gerund of sparkle.
- What part of speech is sparkling?
- Sparkling can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce sparkling?
- Sparkling is pronounced /ˈspɑɹkl̩ɪŋ/ (US).
Words near sparkling in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sparkling (page history and authors); sparkle (page history and authors); sparkling water (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-sparkling.wav.
Cite this entry: “sparkling.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sparkling. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.