Meanings
nounshining ones pl (plural only)
- pluralplural onlyoften preceded by definite articleAngels or other celestial beings.
"You're very welcome here, you two strangers," she said. "But we would say to you that we want outward reverence. We respect the shining ones and we will not have them insulted." "I assure you we are very earnest and fair-minded," said Malone.
1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019
Origin
Originally used in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, 1678.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
shining ones. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shining%20ones
MLA
“shining ones.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shining%20ones. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shining ones,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shining%20ones.
Source: shining ones on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.