brilliant

1 of 2

adjective

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

brilliant

2 of 2

noun

: a gem (such as a diamond) cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to have special brightness or brilliance

Illustration of brilliant

• 1 table
• 2 bezel
• 3 girdle
• 4 pavilion
• 5 culet

Synonyms

Adjective

• beaming
• bedazzling
• bright
• candescent
• clear
• dazzling
• effulgent
• fulgent
• glowing
• incandescent
• lambent
• lucent
• lucid
• luminous
• lustrous
• radiant
• refulgent
• sheeny
• shining
• shiny
• splendid

Noun

• gem
• gemstone
• jewel
• rock [slang]

Choose the Right Synonym for brilliant

bright, brilliant, radiant, luminous, lustrous mean shining or glowing with light.

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

Snell’s first start wasn’t brilliant by any means, but his flashes of potency and veteran presence should at least give fans a reason to come to the ballpark every five days. —Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024

The song was a great encapsulation of country music, made for brilliant line dancing videos and has been on repeat for months. —Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024

Those brilliant red spots, say experts, are called solar prominences. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Apr. 2024

South Carolina’s win also ends the brilliant college career of Caitlin Clark on a low note. —USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

Consequently, the mostly missing pieces of Biskind’s story are the screenwriters, without whom none of these brilliant pictures would ever have seen the light of a projector bulb. —David Kipen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

Inflation aside, the start of the year has been brilliant for stock investors. —Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024

Taylor’s biography is brilliant about the connection between Orwell’s childhood reminiscence and 1984. —Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024

The death of the great film scholar David Bordwell last month, at seventy-six, represents an incalculable loss to all of us who benefited from his brilliant, generously illuminating writing on cinema. —The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

French brillant, present participle of briller to shine, from Italian brillare

Noun

borrowed from French brillant, noun derivative of brillant brilliant entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1690, in the meaning defined above

Kids 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