brilliance

[bril-yuhns]

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noun

great brightness; luster: the brilliance of a fine diamond.

excellence or distinction; conspicuous talent, mental ability, etc.

splendor, elegance, or magnificence: the brilliance of the court of Louis XIV.

Optics. that luminance of a body consisting of its saturation and brightness.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of brilliance

First recorded in 1745–55; brilli(ant) + -ance

SYNONYMS FOR brilliance

1. radiance, effulgence, refulgence. 2. illustriousness, preeminence; genius.

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ANTONYMS FOR brilliance

1, 2. dullness.

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Related formso·ver·bril·liance, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brilliance

None of them came close to the brilliance of what Beyoncé had accomplished.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The brilliance of this scene, and this season, is that there are no good guys and bad guys.
Julianna Margulies's Favorite 'The Good Wife' Scenes|Julianna Margulies|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As TechCrunch pointed out, the brilliance in its bare bones appeal could reach a worth of one billion dollars.
The Zen of Yo|Dale Eisinger|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But this soft and greedy subversive organelle is no match for the brilliance of our scientists!
The Fake Superbug Cure|Kent Sepkowitz|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Gen. George S. Patton is famed for his brilliance in World War II.
The Price of Being a Patton: Wrestling With the Legacy of America’s Most Famous General|Tim Teeman|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has the quick movement, the boldness and brilliance, which we suppose to be the attributes of the best talk.
Alexander Pope|Leslie Stephen
It is an incontinence of brilliance, graceless and aggressive, a glaring swagger.
Certain Personal Matters|H. G. Wells
But the image was vague, like a shadow cast on the brilliance of his mind.
Three Soldiers|John Dos Passos
There were several silences in spite of the Lady Mary's brilliance.
Twelve Stories and a Dream|H. G. Wells
The brilliance of the snow was very striking after the dusk of the interiors I had been penetrating.
The Frozen Pirate|W. Clark Russell

British Dictionary definitions for brilliance

brilliance

brilliancy

noun

great brightness; radiance

excellence or distinction in physical or mental ability; exceptional talent

splendour; magnificencethe brilliance of the royal court

physics a former term for luminance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for brilliance

brilliance

1755, from brilliant + -ance. Figurative sense (of wit, intelligence, etc.) is from 1779. Distinguished from brilliancy in that the latter usually is applied to things measurable in degrees.