bright implies emitting or reflecting a high degree of light.
brilliant implies intense often sparkling brightness.
radiant stresses the emission or seeming emission of rays of light.
luminous implies emission of steady, suffused, glowing light by reflection or in surrounding darkness.
lustrous stresses an even, rich light from a surface that reflects brightly without glittering.
Examples of brilliant in a Sentence
Adjective
a brilliant star in the sky
a store decorated in brilliant colors
He pitched a brilliant game.
She gave a brilliant performance.
She has a brilliant mind. Noun
the diamond cutter set out an array of brilliants to show the various ways the diamond could be cut
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Adjective
Lorenzo Valla, a brilliant scholar of the mid-fifteenth century, totally destroyed and demolished the text of the Donation on every conceivable level.—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025 When too many brilliant performances share the same ballot line, excellence becomes its own worst enemy.—Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025 As for whether Hart, who is shown in the opening scene of the film collapsed in an alley, should be pitied, Hawke says that’s too simple of an emotion for the brilliant, but complicated character.—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025 In a sea of evergreens, these deciduous conifers blaze in brilliant shades of gold, standing out like lanterns against the darker forest.—Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brilliant
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
French brillant, present participle of briller to shine, from Italian brillare
Noun
borrowed from French brillant, noun derivative of brillantbrilliant entry 1
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