brilliant

American  

[bril-yuhnt] / ˈbrɪl yənt /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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 mind

   a brilliant idea

6. music

   1. (of the tone of an instrument) having a large proportion of high harmonics above the fundamental

   2. Also: brilliant.   brilliante.  with spirit; lively

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noun

1. Also called: brilliant 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

Usage

What does brilliant mean? Brilliant is commonly used to mean extremely intelligent, as in a brilliant mathematician or a brilliant idea. People considered geniuses are often described as brilliant in this way. It can also be used to describe something considered outstanding, exceptional, or magnificent, as in a brilliant performance. In the U. K., brilliant is often used in an informal way to mean excellent or awesome. 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. In fact, the term brilliant cut refers to a type of cut used to increase the sparkliness of gems, especially diamonds. Brilliant can even be used as a noun to refer to such a diamond. 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. The noun brilliance refers to the quality of someone or something that is brilliant. Example: It was a brilliant performance from a brilliant musical mind.

Related Words

See bright.

Other Word Forms

• brilliantly adverb
• brilliantness noun
• overbrilliant adjective
• overbrilliantly adverb
• quasi-brilliant adjective
• quasi-brilliantly adverb
• unbrilliant adjective
• unbrilliantly adverb
• unbrilliantness noun

Etymology

Origin of brilliant

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

Explanation

Brilliant describes something super bright, like intense lights at a football stadium, a super sparkly diamond, or the student who graduates from Harvard at age 13. Brilliant comes from the Italian word brillare, to "sparkle" like those bright lights, diamonds, and brainiac kid. British people love to say things are "Brilliant!" in the same way Americans say "Awesome!" Brilliant describes anything sparkly, fabulous, or full of light. A bright color is brilliant, too, like the brilliant orange of a setting sun.

Example Sentences

“Janice was brilliant about letting us adapt it the right way,” Quintrell says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

World number one Jannik Sinner's brilliant form continued as he reached the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open with a straight-set win over Britain's Cameron Norrie.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Both the film and the story are sad and brilliant and hilarious and infuriating, and the documentary moves with love and understanding and a deliberate and specific rhythm.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

Perhaps this firing was a brilliant maneuver which will inspire a surge into contention.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The woman's eyes finally cleared, revealing a brilliant crystal blue, and she set down her work.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• bright
• dazzling
• flashy
• intense
• luminous
• radiant
• scintillating
• sparkling
• vivid