1 brilliant | Definition of brilliant

brilliant

adjective
bril·​liant | \ ˈbril-yÉ™nt How to pronounce brilliant (audio) \

Definition of brilliant

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : very bright : glittering a brilliant light
2a : striking, distinctive a brilliant example
b : distinguished by unusual mental keenness or alertness brilliant scientists
3 British : very good : excellent

brilliant

noun

Definition of brilliant (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

Noun

brilliant, top and side view: 1 table, 2 bezel, 3 girdle, 4 pavilion, 5 culet

In the meaning defined above

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Other Words from brilliant

Adjective

brilliantly adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for brilliant

Adjective

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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Boylan, herself a brilliant neurologist, disagreed vehemently with them. David Armstrong, ProPublica, "In Men, It’s Parkinson’s. In Women, It’s Hysteria.," 23 Aug. 2019 The cast — mostly trans women of color — is also brilliant. Gabi Thorne, Allure, "Pose Makeup Artist Sherri Laurence Chats With Us About Season Two," 20 Aug. 2019 Still, there is humankind, wonderful, brilliant, heroic, tragic—as Hamlet says, how like a god. Marilynne Robinson, Harper's magazine, "Is Poverty Necessary?," 10 June 2019 Manchester United were brilliant on the break against Chelsea, scoring from four of their five shots on target. SI.com, "90min's Definitive European Power Rankings: Week 1," 16 Aug. 2019 There's no road trip that's as brilliant as that road trip. Condé Nast Traveler, "Author E. Jean Carroll on Her Feminist Road Trip Across America: Women Who Travel Podcast," 13 Aug. 2019 The company is adept at making brilliant investments, streamlining operations and boosting profits. Christopher Leonard, ProPublica, "Rising Profits, Rising Injuries: The Safety Crisis at Koch Industries’ Georgia-Pacific," 8 Aug. 2019 The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket blasted off at 6:13 a.m. Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center and quickly cut through Florida’s black sky in a brilliant display of light-blue luminescence. Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, "’I just saw the weirdest thing,’ spectators across Florida marvel, tweet about ULA Atlas V rocket launch," 8 Aug. 2019 His death at age 52 from yet-unsaid causes means the loss of a brilliant, distinct chronicler of the world, and he’ll be remembered in quotations: lines that make no sense, that describe the impossible, and that yet identify so much truth. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "David Berman Sang the Truth," 8 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brilliant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of brilliant

Adjective

circa 1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1690, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for brilliant

Adjective

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

Noun

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

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More Definitions for brilliant

brilliant

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of brilliant

: very bright : flashing with light
: very impressive or successful
: extremely intelligent : much more intelligent than most people

brilliant

adjective
bril·​liant