bright spark

noun

British, informal + disapproving
: a person who says or does something that seems intelligent but is really not
Who's the bright spark who came up with this rotten idea?

Examples of bright spark in a Sentence

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Everleigh, my bright spark - chase your dreams boldly and without fear. Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Dec. 2025 Everleigh, my bright spark — chase your dreams boldly and without fear. Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 3 Dec. 2025 Alcaraz excites on debut At least new signing Carlos Alcaraz was a bright spark. Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025 Losing 3-0 at half-time, Dejan Kulusevski was their only bright spark. Jay Harris, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bright spark

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“Bright spark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bright%20spark. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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