Synonyms of ray

ray 1 of 2

noun

1

as in beam

a narrow sharply defined line of light radiating from an object

two red eyes reflected in the ray of light from the flashlight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beam
• shaft
• laser
• sunbeam
• spotlight
• moonbeam
• sunburst

2

as in glimmer

a very small amount

the tapping sound ceased, extinguishing the last ray of hope that the trapped miners were still alive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• glimmer
• splash
• speck
• hint
• shred
• sprinkling
• touch
• bit
• little
• particle
• spark
• trace
• tad
• lick
• sliver
• streak
• fleck
• dab
• scintilla
• ounce
• handful
• shadow
• shade
• spatter
• suspicion
• smack
• smidgen
• crumb
• smell
• dram
• ace
• spot
• strain
• portion
• peanuts
• mite
• dose
• dash
• pinch
• drop in the bucket
• nip
• minimum
• drop
• soupçon
• bite
• scruple
• atom
• molecule
• grain
• mote
• driblet
• whit
• dot
• patch
• iota
• snap
• skosh
• syllable
• modicum
• semblance
• taste
• fragment
• vestige
• section
• scattering
• part
• granule
• minim
• tittle
• jot
• nibble
• morsel
• scrap
• splinter
• shard
• smattering
• hoot
• flake
• nubbin
• chip
• flyspeck
• shiver
• tatter
• smatter
• clipping
• paring
• shaving
• shot
• smithereens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quantity
• mass
• abundance
• mountain
• bundle
• loads
• barrel
• deal
• wealth
• bushel
• pile
• lot
• raft
• bucket
• plenty
• stack
• profusion
• peck
• heaps
• volume
• wad
• mess
• fistful
• reams
• surplus
• excess
• lashings
• boatload
• gobs
• slab
• scads
• oodles
• embarrassment
• potful
• passel
• overflow
• surfeit
• overabundance
• bonanza
• superabundance
• chunk
• much
• lump
• oversupply
• superfluity
• hunk
• overage
• overkill
• overmuch

ray

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to shine

to emit rays of light

klieg lights were raying against the nighttime sky at the Hollywood premiere

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shine
• glow
• beam
• flash
• radiate
• gleam
• flare
• glimmer
• flicker
• light
• flame
• shimmer
• illumine
• blaze
• glitter
• glisten
• sparkle
• twinkle
• burn
• glare
• glint
• beat (down)
• fire
• glister
• sheen
• blind
• luminesce
• spangle
• scintillate
• illuminate
• brighten
• coruscate
• lighten
• luster
• irradiate
• blink
• dazzle
• wink
• winkle
• daze
• bedazzle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• darken
• lower
• blacken

2

as in to radiate

to extend outwards from or as if from a central point

laugh wrinkles rayed out from the corners of the old man's eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• radiate
• branch
• flow
• emanate
• stem
• derive
• diverge
• diffuse
• fan (out)
• spread
• dispel
• dissipate
• proceed
• arise
• scatter
• split
• fork
• spring
• disperse
• separate
• divide
• issue
• part
• ramify
• unyoke
• splay
• uncouple
• unlink

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• focus
• meet
• concentrate
• converge
• approach
• funnel
• near
• couple
• link
• connect
• join
• unite
• close in (on)
• center (on)
• centralize

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ray

Noun

Sunlight is the most efficient way for the body to get vitamin D, from UV rays, but many people don’t get enough of it this way. —Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 24 Apr. 2026

Mount Fuji’s westerly location means that clear nights offer spectacular sunsets, the sun dipping behind the peak, but sunrise is equally as magical, when the first rays cast their light on the cone. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

After tracking a large school of Mobula rays for some time, Bingqiam Gao decided to try a different approach: Get ahead and wait. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2026

The PlayStation 5 Pro is a more powerful spin on the vanilla PS5, thanks to ray tracing and AI upscaling that give games a visual boost. —Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026

Phrases Containing ray

• manta ray