1
as in bright
in a manner marked by the shining or reflecting of much light
the diamond necklace sparkled brilliantly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brightly
in a manner that is colorful and tends to arouse gaiety
a chorus of brilliantly costumed Las Vegas showgirls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brilliantly
Weir sang the band’s country covers and his own material, and played rhythm guitar in a brilliantly eccentric manner that belied the job’s second-string implications — even while soundman Dan Healy was turning him down in the mix.
—
Richard Gehr, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2026
The brilliantly blue bolt can be seen illuminating the inside of a storm cloud above the historic city, but glimpses like these can go far beyond simply illustrating lightning’s grandeur.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
What ensues is a brilliantly taut ensemble piece.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Jackson played brilliantly in the fourth quarter and put on his Superman cape, hitting Flowers for go-ahead touchdowns of 50 and 64 yards and driving the Ravens down to give Loop a shot.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Vancasso Pasta Bowls Set of 6 Bold and brilliantly patterned, the Vancasso Pasta Bowls are a vibrant addition to any dinnerware collection.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2026
Conical, feathery and brilliantly colored in blues, pinks, plum and orange, these tiny worms attach to coral reefs as larvae and then hang out, immobile, for the rest of their lives.
—Maggie Koerth, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
The whole scheme is stupidly brilliant and brilliantly stupid, emblematic of just how unusual Marty Supreme’s rollout—and Chalamet’s press-tour persona—has been.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
The mortal wound is not physical, the book, so far from being a melodrama, is very brilliantly understated.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Richard Gehr, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2026
The brilliantly blue bolt can be seen illuminating the inside of a storm cloud above the historic city, but glimpses like these can go far beyond simply illustrating lightning’s grandeur.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
What ensues is a brilliantly taut ensemble piece.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Jackson played brilliantly in the fourth quarter and put on his Superman cape, hitting Flowers for go-ahead touchdowns of 50 and 64 yards and driving the Ravens down to give Loop a shot.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Vancasso Pasta Bowls Set of 6 Bold and brilliantly patterned, the Vancasso Pasta Bowls are a vibrant addition to any dinnerware collection.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2026
Conical, feathery and brilliantly colored in blues, pinks, plum and orange, these tiny worms attach to coral reefs as larvae and then hang out, immobile, for the rest of their lives.
—Maggie Koerth, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
The whole scheme is stupidly brilliant and brilliantly stupid, emblematic of just how unusual Marty Supreme’s rollout—and Chalamet’s press-tour persona—has been.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
The mortal wound is not physical, the book, so far from being a melodrama, is very brilliantly understated.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brilliantly
Adverb
-
Few things are cozier than a brightly striped sweater.—
Odeya Pinkus,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Pink and blue are the main colors featured in this year's brightly colored logo; however, since no teams have pink in their jerseys, the main colors to look for are blue, green, and yellow.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The dazzlingly bright orange creature has been named Brachycephalus lulai in honor of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
-
The novel is in many ways a string of dazzlingly deadpan and sharp observations about navigating the strange world of now, from predictive advertising to sugar babying to dead college friends.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Abundance comes from simply being yourself — boldly, colorfully, unapologetically.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
23 Dec. 2025
-
That was colorfully communicated this week by JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon , who said there may be more cockroaches in the industry after the country’s largest bank took sizeable charge-offs in the third quarter for exposure to Tricolor.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brilliantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brilliantly. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
