Literary notes about scintillate (AI summary)
Literary usage of "scintillate" often conjures images of sparkling light and vibrant brilliance, both in literal and figurative terms. Writers describe natural phenomena that glisten under moonlight—as frost sparkles like diamonds in the air [1], or stars twinkle in the heavens [2]—as well as the radiant qualities of human emotion and intellect. Characters’ features may be animated with light, with eyes that "scintillate with unsatisfied vengeance" [3] or pens that seem to shimmer with creative energy [4]. In other contexts, the term lends an air of dynamic elegance to wit or personality, illustrating an inner glow that captivates and transforms ordinary moments into something extraordinary.
- The storm cleared entirely; a brilliant moon shone over all, causing the falling frost in the air to scintillate like diamonds.
— from A Canyon Voyage The Narrative of the Second Powell Expedition down the Green-Colorado River from Wyoming, and the Explorations on Land, in the Years 1871 and 1872 by Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh - How diamond-bright the stars do scintillate When Night hath lit her lamps to Heaven's gate.
— from The Upward Path: A Reader For Colored Children - His lips are livid with rage, his brow black with chagrin, while his eyes fairly scintillate with unsatisfied vengeance.
— from The Flag of Distress: A Story of the South Sea by Mayne Reid - Whenever he writes of himself, his pen seems fairly to scintillate.
— from The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin by Harry Houdini
