brilliant

1 of 2

adjective

bril·​liant ˈbril-yənt How to pronounce brilliant (audio)
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

Illustration of brilliant
  • 1 table
  • 2 bezel
  • 3 girdle
  • 4 pavilion
  • 5 culet
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
College football saw a huge underdog victory, and one of tennis’ brightest stars returned to her brilliant best. Johannes Sasay-Wada, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024 Marie has led this journey in brilliant partnership with Victoria and Neo. Samantha Conti, WWD, 7 Oct. 2024 Fortas was a brilliant attorney renowned for winning the landmark case Gideon v. Wainright, which expanded the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel to state prosecutions. Michael Bobelian, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024 However, Lindholm did not have a brilliant season with the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks last year. Steve Silverman, Forbes, 6 Oct. 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 brillant brilliant entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1690, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brilliant was circa 1681

Dictionary Entries Near brilliant

Cite this Entry

“Brilliant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brilliant. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

brilliant

1 of 2 adjective
bril·​liant ˈbril-yənt How to pronounce brilliant (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on brilliant

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