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
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The brand new Summer Special edition is packed with brilliant ideas for how to plan adventures and have great days out cheaply and for free.—The Week, theweek, 17 July 2024 But for one week in the summer of 1984, the floor of UCLA’s storied sports arena was transformed into a brilliant cacophony of mats, bars and beams.—Dominic Faria, Ethan Ferguson, Akshat Jain, Annabelle Del Bosque, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024 Yet Michael Covino’s absorbing directorial debut confronts that challenge with stunning cinematic ambition, resulting in a brilliant reinvention of the buddy comedy.—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 16 July 2024 President Trump made a brilliant selection in @JDVance1.—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for brilliant
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brilliant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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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