Glistening means shining with a wet, sparkling light. When something glistens, it reflects light in a way that makes it look moist or freshly wet, creating tiny points of brightness across its surface.

After a rainstorm, leaves glisten in the sunlight as water droplets catch the light. A freshly washed car glistens in the driveway. When you come out of a swimming pool on a sunny day, your skin glistens with water. Morning dew makes spiderwebs glisten like jewelry stretched between blades of grass.

The word captures a specific kind of shine: not the hard gleam of polished metal or the steady glow of a lamp, but a softer, wetter sparkle. Think of how chocolate frosting glistens on a cake, or how your dog's nose glistens when it's healthy and wet. Athletes' faces glisten with sweat during a tough game.

Writers often use glistening to make descriptions more vivid and alive. Instead of just saying someone had tears in their eyes, they might describe eyes glistening with tears, helping readers see and almost feel that emotional moment.