brilliant

[ bril-yuhnt ]

adjective

1. shining brightly; sparkling; glittering; lustrous:

   the brilliant lights of the city.

2. distinguished; illustrious:

   a brilliant performance by a young pianist.

3. having or showing great intelligence, talent, quality, etc.:

   a brilliant technician.

4. strong and clear in tone; vivid; bright:

   brilliant blues and greens; the brilliant sound of the trumpets.

5. splendid or magnificent:

   a brilliant social event.

noun

1. Jewelry. a gem, especially a diamond, having any of several varieties of the brilliant cut.
2. Printing. a size of type about 3½-point.

brilliant

/ ˈbrɪljənt /

adjective

1. shining with light; sparkling
2. (of a colour) having a high saturation and reflecting a considerable amount of light; vivid
3. outstanding; exceptional

   a brilliant success

4. splendid; magnificent

   a brilliant show

5. of outstanding intelligence or intellect

   a brilliant idea

   a brilliant mind

6. music
   1. (of the tone of an instrument) having a large proportion of high harmonics above the fundamental
   2. Alsobrilliantbrijɑ̃brilliantebrijɑ̃t with spirit; lively

noun

1. Also calledbrilliant cut
   1. a popular circular cut for diamonds and other gemstones in the form of two many-faceted pyramids (the top one truncated) joined at their bases
   2. a diamond of this cut
2. (formerly) a size of a printer's type approximately equal to 4 point

Derived Forms

• ˈbrilliantly, adverb

Other Words From

• brilliant·ly adverb
• brilliant·ness noun
• over·brilliant adjective
• over·brilliant·ly adverb
• quasi-brilliant adjective
• quasi-brilliant·ly adverb
• un·brilliant adjective
• un·brilliant·ly adverb
• un·brilliant·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of brilliant¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from French brillant “shining,” present participle of briller “to shine,” from Italian brillare, perhaps either ultimately from Latin bēryllus beryl ( def ) or derivative of an expressive root

Word History and Origins

Origin of brilliant¹

C17: from French brillant shining, from briller to shine, from Italian brillare , from brillo beryl

Synonym Study

See bright.

Example Sentences

These were brilliant writers who were really great at keeping it to jokes.

From The Daily Beast

His speeches, which he wrote himself, were frequently brilliant, even if they too often pointed backward instead of forward.

From The Daily Beast

Sachin Tendulkar may be one of the most brilliant players in the sport, but he struggles to liven up his memoirs.

From The Daily Beast

Both impart the experience of sitting with brilliant Cubans over a rum to debate the State of Cuban Intellectual Life.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, you can read this just as a brilliant, subversive coda to a horror movie.

From The Daily Beast

In the evening, St. Peter's and its accessories were illuminated—by far the most brilliant spectacle I ever saw.

From Project Gutenberg

Kum Kale has been a brilliant bit of work, though I fear we have lost nearly a quarter of our effectives.

From Project Gutenberg

Admiration for brilliant colours, for moving things, such as feathers, is common to the two.

From Project Gutenberg

But in August, 1805, the approaching war with Austria caused the Emperor to summon his most brilliant cavalry leader to his side.

From Project Gutenberg

As a brilliant conversationalist and well-versed political economist he has few rivals in his country.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accomplished
• astute
• bright
• gifted
• ingenious
• inventive
• sharp
• smart
• talented