What does scintillating mean?
Word: Scintillating
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Scintillating means brilliantly clever, lively and entertaining.
Synonyms: dazzling
How do you spell scintillating?
Syllables: scin - til - lat - ing
Tricky part: The c after the opening s makes no sound, so it is easy to leave out.
Watch out for: sintillating, sintilating, scintilating
Memory tip: Science keeps a silent c after its s, and this word does the same.
Scintillating in a sentence
Example 1: The guest of honour gave a scintillating talk on life at the Antarctic base.
Example 2: Sania's scintillating forehand drew gasps from the crowd at the final.
Example 3: It was a scintillating final, with the lead changing hands six times.
Fun Fact
Its Latin parent, scintilla, is still used in English for a tiny trace of something, as in not a scintilla of doubt.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
One word in the list is misspelt and three are spelt correctly. Choose its meaning.
1. eloquent 2. meticulous 3. gregarious 4. scintillateing
a) so clever and lively that listeners stay hooked
b) taking great care over small details
c) able to speak clearly and persuasively
d) enjoying the company of others
Show answer
a) so clever and lively that listeners stay hooked. An e has stayed where it should have dropped out before the ing; gregarious, meticulous and eloquent are spelt properly.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct three letters to form a word:
sc_nt_ll_ting
a) i, e, a
b) i, i, e
c) e, i, a
d) i, i, a
Show answer
d) i, i, a. Both early gaps take the short i of sit, and the last gap takes the a of late.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Everyone stayed after dinner to hear the tiatnclsgilin conversation of our visiting poet.
a) illuminating
b) exhilarating
c) scintillating
d) stimulating
Show answer
c) scintillating. Thirteen letters and a double l among them point to one choice.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word scintillating as used in the sentence:
The two debaters kept up a scintillating exchange that had the hall laughing and clapping.
a) gloomy
b) clumsy
c) sparkling
d) tedious
Show answer
c) sparkling. Laughter and clapping suggest a bright, quick-witted exchange.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A review calls a debate scintillating. What does the reviewer think?
a) the audience found it hard to hear
b) the speakers ran out of things to say
c) the hall was too small for the crowd
d) the audience was delighted from start to finish
Show answer
d) the audience was delighted from start to finish
2. Which is the most natural thing to describe as scintillating?
a) a quiet nap on a hot afternoon
b) a long list of railway timings
c) a quick-witted after-dinner speech
d) a slow queue at the post office
Show answer
c) a quick-witted after-dinner speech
