Illustration of brilliant
- 1 table
- 2 bezel
- 3 girdle
- 4 pavilion
- 5 culet
bril·liant
ˈbril-yənt 
1
: very bright : glittering
a brilliant light
2
a
: striking, distinctive
a brilliant example
b
: distinguished by unusual mental keenness or alertness
brilliant scientists
3
British
: very good : excellent
brilliantly
adverb
: a gem (such as a diamond) cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to have special brightness or brilliance
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
Austin Mock, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The Dodgers completed a sweep of the NL Wild Card series with a 8-4 win, inspired in part by the brilliant Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Still, Murder House is the brilliant anthology that convinced us to keep coming back, even after that hunger later regressed into a false hope that newer seasons could satisfy the same craving.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
With the first piece of evidence in decades, Karen (Lyle) must assemble an unbeatable team alongside her sincere and lovable sidekick DC Jason ‘Mint’ Murray (Chris Jenks) and the brilliant, but romantically complicated, DS Phil Parhatka (Zach Wyatt).
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brilliant
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Adjective
Oliver has been out since his brilliant performance against the Ravens in Week 1.
—Austin Mock, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The Dodgers completed a sweep of the NL Wild Card series with a 8-4 win, inspired in part by the brilliant Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Still, Murder House is the brilliant anthology that convinced us to keep coming back, even after that hunger later regressed into a false hope that newer seasons could satisfy the same craving.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
With the first piece of evidence in decades, Karen (Lyle) must assemble an unbeatable team alongside her sincere and lovable sidekick DC Jason ‘Mint’ Murray (Chris Jenks) and the brilliant, but romantically complicated, DS Phil Parhatka (Zach Wyatt).
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brilliant
Cite this Entry
“Brilliant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brilliant. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brilliant
1 of 2 adjective
bril·liant
ˈbril-yənt
1
: flashing with light : very bright
brilliant jewels
2
a
: very impressive
a brilliant career
b
: very smart or clever
a brilliant student
a brilliant idea
brilliantly
adverb
brilliant
2 of 2 noun
: a gem (as a diamond) cut so as to sparkle
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