brilliant

[ bril-yuh nt ]

/ ˈbrɪl yənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brilliant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

shining brightly; sparkling; glittering; lustrous: the brilliant lights of the city.

distinguished; illustrious: a brilliant performance by a young pianist.

having or showing great intelligence, talent, quality, etc.: a brilliant technician.

strong and clear in tone; vivid; bright: brilliant blues and greens; the brilliant sound of the trumpets.

splendid or magnificent: a brilliant social event.

noun

Jewelry. a gem, especially a diamond, having any of several varieties of the brilliant cut.

Printing. a size of type about 3½-point.

Nearby words

Origin of brilliant

1675–85; < French brillant shining, present participle of briller < Italian brillare to glitter (perhaps derivative of an expressive root); see -ant

Related forms

bril·liant·ly, adverbbril·liant·ness, nouno·ver·bril·liant, adjectiveo·ver·bril·liant·ly, adverb

qua·si-bril·liant, adjectivequa·si-bril·liant·ly, adverbun·bril·liant, adjectiveun·bril·liant·ly, adverbun·bril·liant·ness, noun

Synonym study

1. See bright.

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

Examples from the Web for brilliant

These were brilliant writers who were really great at keeping it to jokes.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sachin Tendulkar may be one of the most brilliant players in the sport, but he struggles to liven up his memoirs.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player|William O’Connor|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both impart the experience of sitting with brilliant Cubans over a rum to debate the State of Cuban Intellectual Life.
Book Bag: Great Books About Cuba|Julia Cooke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, you can read this just as a brilliant, subversive coda to a horror movie.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I also think we could have another talk with Fincher who may be difficult but is brilliant and already engaged.
Shocking New Reveals From Sony Hack: J. Law, Pitt, Clooney, and Star Wars|William Boot|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I confess I was almost startled on seeing them with a number of brilliant looking snakes.
On the Banks of the Amazon|W.H.G. Kingston
Early in 1825, William Wilberforce's brilliant Parliamentary career came to an end by his own voluntary retirement.
Private Papers of William Wilberforce|William Wilberforce
He had a poetic spirit, and was both vigorous and brilliant.
The World's Great Sermons, Volume 6: H. W. Beecher to Punshon|Various
Ruth M—— was a college junior with ancestry and wealth, brilliant, sarcastic, selfish.
The Girl and Her Religion|Margaret Slattery
Her father, too, would bring her home many a sparkling jewel, many a brilliant gem.
Stories from the Ballads|Mary MacGregor

British Dictionary definitions for brilliant

brilliant

/ (ˈbrɪljənt) /

adjective

shining with light; sparkling

(of a colour) having a high saturation and reflecting a considerable amount of light; vivid

outstanding; exceptionala brilliant success

splendid; magnificenta brilliant show

of outstanding intelligence or intellecta brilliant mind; a brilliant idea

music

(of the tone of an instrument) having a large proportion of high harmonics above the fundamental
Also: brilliant (French brijɑ̃), brilliante (French brijɑ̃t) with spirit; lively

noun

Also called: brilliant cut

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
a diamond of this cut

(formerly) a size of a printer's type approximately equal to 4 point

Derived Formsbrilliantly, adverb

Word Origin for brilliant

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

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 brilliant

brilliant

adj.

1680s, from French brilliant "sparkling, shining" present participle of briller "to shine" (16c.), from Italian brillare "sparkle, whirl," perhaps from Vulgar Latin *berillare "to shine like a beryl," from berillus "beryl, precious stone," from Latin beryllus (see beryl). In reference to diamonds (1680s) it means a flat-topped cut invented 17c. by Venetian cutter Vincenzo Peruzzi.

brilliant

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of brilliant

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for brilliant

British Dictionary definitions for brilliant

brilliant

adjective

noun

Word Origin for brilliant

Word Origin and History for brilliant

brilliant