brilliant

[bril-yuh nt]

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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.

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 formsbril·liant·ly, adverbbril·liant·ness, nouno·ver·bril·liant, adjectiveo·ver·bril·liant·ly, adverbqua·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

Related Words for brilliant

vivid, radiant, dazzling, sparkling, bright, flashy, scintillating, luminous, intense, splendid, exceptional, magnificent, superb, excellent, distinguished, glorious, ingenious, inventive, talented, gifted

Examples from the Web for brilliant

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of brilliant

The Eton Society of Gladstone's day was a brilliant group of boys.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
On the contrary, he speedily inaugurated a new and brilliant era in finance.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
On the 12th July, General Sumter commenced his brilliant career.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
He felt that his visit had not been at all the brilliant success he had anticipated.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
Cecilia wore a silver crown, in which glistened the most brilliant of pearls.
The Dream
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for brilliant

brilliant

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

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.