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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lightning Digital assets are moving at hyper-lightning speed. — Manny Khan, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning
  1. rapid
  2. quick
  3. fast
  4. brisk
  5. galloping
  6. swift
Adjective
  • This is the experience of some students in the state and it is being further complicated by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, rising college costs and limited exposure to jobs before graduation.
    — P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Their operational training regularly includes rapid rope insertions from heights of 100 feet or more.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of rapid
Adjective
  • Step Back OPay took off in 2019 in Nigeria with ambitions to be a super app that offered various features, including motorcycle taxi bookings, food deliveries, and quick loans.
    — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The crusts are shaped using a crimping technique that, along with a quick baking time at high heat, leads to a unique, varied texture, the website states.
    — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of quick
Adjective
  • Desiree Rios | Bloomberg | Getty Images Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack said Monday that tighter monetary policy might be needed to bring down inflation and the central bank should make fast, incremental adjustments.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
  • That will allow for faster and safer repatriation of the turtles that survive.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of fast
Adjective
  • Though the Scandi brand was selling at a brisk pace to her online customers, Stover knew the economics weren’t going to work for the long term if every reorder was saddled with that kind of extra cost.
    — Jessica Binns, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The final product is a rousing, brisk, and genuinely inspiring biopic that never feels like homework.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
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
  • Designed by renowned architect Dominique Perrault, its four stories tilting forward are said to evoke a galloping horse.
    — Rob Hodgetts at Longchamp, CNN, 15 Oct. 2019
Definition of galloping
Adjective
  • That drew a swift rebuke from a bipartisan group of Senators, who wrote a letter to Apple arguing that to do so would imperil national security.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The provincial government’s spokeswoman, Samar Haroon Bilour, praised rescue workers for their swift response.
    — Riaz Khan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of swift

Phrases Containing lightning

Browse Nearby Words

lightness
lightning
lightning rod
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightning

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lightning

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