brilliance

[bril-yuhns]

noun

1. great brightness; luster.

   the brilliance of a fine diamond.

   Synonyms: refulgence, effulgence, radiance
   Antonyms: dullness

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

   Synonyms: genius, preeminence, illustriousness
   Antonyms: dullness

3. splendor, elegance, or magnificence.

   the brilliance of the court of Louis XIV.

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

brilliance

/ ˈbrɪljəns /

noun

1. great brightness; radiance

2. excellence or distinction in physical or mental ability; exceptional talent

3. splendour; magnificence

   the brilliance of the royal court

4. physics a former term for luminance

Other Word Forms

• overbrilliance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of brilliance¹

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

Example Sentences

"He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language," United Agents added.

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"He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language," it said.

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But falling between the violin’s soaring brilliance and the cello’s corporeality, the viola also signifies transition.

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There's been Louis Bielle-Biarrey's brilliance for France, Argentina's amazing comeback against Scotland, England's emergence as a global force, and South Africa cementing their greatness with formidable victories in Paris and Dublin.

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We already knew Eze was super-talented from his time at Crystal Palace, and he had made a good start to his Arsenal career, showing glimpses of brilliance.

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Related Words

• cleverness www.thesaurus.com
• excellence 
• inspiration 
• intelligence 
• inventiveness www.thesaurus.com
• talent 
• wisdom 

When To Use

What does brilliance mean?

Brilliance commonly refers to the quality of extreme intelligence. People considered geniuses are often said to possess or display brilliance.Brilliance is a noun form of the adjective brilliant, which commonly means extremely intelligent but can also mean outstanding, exceptional, or magnificent, as in a brilliant performance. These senses of brilliant are based on its more general meaning—shining brightly or sparkling. Bright sunshine can be described as brilliant in this way. A very sparkly gem such as a diamond could also be described as brilliant. Brilliance can be used in these contexts to refer to the brightness or sparkliness of such things.Brilliant can also be used to mean vivid or vibrant. This sense of the word is especially used to describe colors and sounds that stand out due to being especially strong and clear. Brilliance refers to the quality of such things.Example: I cannot overstate the brilliance of the performance—it was magnificent in every way.