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View synonyms for

brilliant

[ bril-yuhnt ]

adjective

  1. shining brightly; sparkling; glittering; lustrous:

    the brilliant lights of the city.

  2. distinguished; illustrious:

    a brilliant performance by a young pianist.

  3. having or showing great intelligence, talent, quality, etc.:

    a brilliant technician.

  4. strong and clear in tone; vivid; bright:

    brilliant blues and greens; the brilliant sound of the trumpets.

  5. splendid or magnificent:

    a brilliant social event.



noun

  1. Jewelry. a gem, especially a diamond, having any of several varieties of the brilliant cut.
  2. Printing. a size of type about 3½-point.

brilliant

/ ˈ²ú°ùɪ±ôÂáÉ™²Ô³Ù /

adjective

  1. shining with light; sparkling
  2. (of a colour) having a high saturation and reflecting a considerable amount of light; vivid
  3. outstanding; exceptional

    a brilliant success

  4. splendid; magnificent

    a brilliant show

  5. of outstanding intelligence or intellect

    a brilliant idea

    a brilliant mind

  6. music
    1. (of the tone of an instrument) having a large proportion of high harmonics above the fundamental
    2. ´¡±ô²õ´Ç²ú°ù¾±±ô±ô¾±²¹²Ô³Ù²ú°ù¾±Âáɑ̃²ú°ù¾±±ô±ô¾±²¹²Ô³Ù±ð²ú°ù¾±Âáɑ̃³Ù with spirit; lively
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also calledbrilliant cut
    1. a popular circular cut for diamonds and other gemstones in the form of two many-faceted pyramids (the top one truncated) joined at their bases
    2. a diamond of this cut
  2. (formerly) a size of a printer's type approximately equal to 4 point
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ²ú°ù¾±±ô±ô¾±²¹²Ô³Ù±ô²â, adverb
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Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms

  • ²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù·±ô²â adverb
  • ²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù·²Ô±ð²õ²õ noun
  • ´Çv±ð°ù·²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù adjective
  • over·²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù·±ô²â adverb
  • ±ç³Ü²¹î€È´¾±-²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù adjective
  • quasi-²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù·±ô²â adverb
  • ³Ü²Ô·²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù adjective
  • un·²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù·±ô²â adverb
  • un·²ú°ù¾±±ôl¾±²¹²Ô³Ù·²Ô±ð²õ²õ noun
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of brilliant1

First recorded in 1675–85; from French brillant “shining,†present participle of briller “to shine,†from Italian brillare, perhaps either ultimately from Latin ²úŧ°ù²â±ô±ô³Ü²õ beryl ( def ) or derivative of an expressive root
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of brilliant1

C17: from French brillant shining, from briller to shine, from Italian brillare , from brillo beryl
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Synonym Study

See bright.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Congratulations to all the brilliant local campaigners who fought so powerfully to stop this mine," he said.

From

"He's such a brilliant actor. I love his work."

From

With a tense final leg still in the balance, 'The Bullet' produced a brilliant 107 checkout to seal a memorable success.

From

"She was a brilliant mother, she adored him and they were never in when the weather was good."

From

"At least seven," she declares, "and as many as I can physically carry - 12 would be even more brilliant."

From

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More About Brilliant

What doesÌýbrilliant mean?

Brilliant is commonly used to mean extremely intelligent, as in a brilliant mathematician or a brilliant idea. People considered geniuses are often described as brilliant in this way.

It can also be used to describe something considered outstanding, exceptional, or magnificent, as in a brilliant performance. In the U.K., brilliant is often used in an informal way to mean excellent or awesome.

These senses of brilliant are based on its more general meaning—shining brightly or sparkling. Bright sunshine can be described as brilliant in this way. A very sparkly gem such as a diamond could also be described as brilliant.

In fact, the term brilliant cut refers to a type of cut used to increase the sparkliness of gems, especially diamonds. Brilliant can even be used as a noun to refer to such a diamond.

Brilliant can also be used to mean vivid or vibrant. This sense of the word is especially used to describe colors and sounds that stand out due to being especially strong and clear.

The noun brilliance refers to the quality of someone or something that is brilliant.

Example: It was a brilliant performance from a brilliant musical mind.

Where doesÌýbrilliant come from?

The first records of the word brilliant come from around 1680. It comes from the French brillant, meaning “shining,†from the French verb briller, “to shine.â€

Brilliant was originally used as a way to describe things that literally shine or sparkle, such as the sun or a diamond. Eventually, it started to be used to describe people with shining intellects.

Brilliant cut diamonds are those that are cut in a way that’s intended to maximize their brilliance—a large number of facets are added in order to better catch the light and reflect it back.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to brilliant?

What are some synonyms for brilliant?

What are some words that share a root or word element with brilliant?Ìý

What are some words that often get used in discussing brilliant?

How isÌýbrilliant used in real life?

Brilliant is usually used in a positive way. It’s especially used to describe very smart people and things that shine.

Ìý

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Try usingÌýbrilliant!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of brilliant?

A. shining
B. gloomy
C. bright
D. vibrant

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