Illustration of brilliant
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brilliant
1 of 2adjective
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 2noun
: a gem (such as a diamond) cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to have special brightness or brilliance
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]
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 See More
Recent Examples on the Web
John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Sep. 2022 Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson was brilliant in his big-league debut, allowing four hits in seven innings and retiring 17 straight batters at one point to lead the Diamondbacks over the Padres 5-0 in San Diego on Monday. San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Sep. 2022 Flightline, a son of Tapit, has raced just four times but has been brilliant each time, including a 12 3/4-length victory here last summer in an allowance race (when his odds were 1-5). Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2022 But Oasis were brilliant at going for the obvious, so who wanted to work so hard at hearing them? Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2022 Radke popped the question with a sparkling Nicole Rose ring featuring a 3.5-carat square brilliant cut cushion with two half-moon diamonds on the side (making the ring 4/-2 carats total). Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 28 Aug. 2022 Thank you to all of the brilliant collaborators and musicians, composers, and everyone involved in creating this piece of art. Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2022 No tennis player is more closely associated with New York City than John McEnroe, the brilliant if volatile lefty who won his hometown U.S. Open four times and continues to cover it as a TV analyst. Jason Gay, WSJ, 27 Aug. 2022 On a brilliant August day, sunlit vistas still stretched before us. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2022 See More
Adjective
There were some ideas that were clearly brilliant, like the QR code that displayed when the bike was first turned on. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Sep. 2022 Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson was brilliant in his big-league debut, allowing four hits in seven innings and retiring 17 straight batters at one point to lead the Diamondbacks over the Padres 5-0 in San Diego on Monday. San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Sep. 2022 Flightline, a son of Tapit, has raced just four times but has been brilliant each time, including a 12 3/4-length victory here last summer in an allowance race (when his odds were 1-5). Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2022 But Oasis were brilliant at going for the obvious, so who wanted to work so hard at hearing them? Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2022 Radke popped the question with a sparkling Nicole Rose ring featuring a 3.5-carat square brilliant cut cushion with two half-moon diamonds on the side (making the ring 4/-2 carats total). Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 28 Aug. 2022 Thank you to all of the brilliant collaborators and musicians, composers, and everyone involved in creating this piece of art. Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2022 No tennis player is more closely associated with New York City than John McEnroe, the brilliant if volatile lefty who won his hometown U.S. Open four times and continues to cover it as a TV analyst. Jason Gay, WSJ, 27 Aug. 2022 On a brilliant August day, sunlit vistas still stretched before us. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2022 See More 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
adjective
bril·liant ˈbril-yənt
1
: flashing with light : very bright
brilliant jewels
2
: very impressive
a brilliant career
3
: very smart or clever
a brilliant student
brilliant 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in dazzling
giving off or reflecting much light a brilliant chandelier graces the hotel lobby Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dazzling
- luminous
- glowing
- shining
- bright
- splendid
- shiny
- radiant
- gleaming
- sparkling
- blazing
- lustrous
- shimmering
- refulgent
- glittering
- clear
- effulgent
- flashing
- lucid
- flickering
- incandescent
- sheeny
- fulgent
- lucent
- polished
- blinding
- beaming
- glistening
- bedazzling
- candescent
- fiery
- lambent
- burning
- shined
- flaming
- scintillating
- sunny
- ardent
- glimmering
- glaring
- twinkling
- glinting
- winking
- scintillant
- shimmery
- glancing
- ablaze
- burnished
- aglitter
- agleam
- flaring
- gemmy
- combusting
- glistering
- coruscant
- superbright
- red-hot
- ultrabright
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dull
- lackluster
- dim
- dark
- obscure
- gloomy
- sombre
- somber
- unbrilliant
- dusky
- darkened
- blackened
- murky
- obscured
- darkish
- unbright
- shadowy
- darkling
- lightless
- unlit
- dimmed
- darksome
- shady
- cloudy
- tenebrous
- pale
- grey
- gray
- leaden
- pitch-dark
- pitch-black
- shadowlike
- palish
- sunless
2
as in clever
having or showing quickness of mind a brilliant boy who left for college at the age of 16 Synonyms & Similar Words
- clever
- intelligent
- smart
- quick
- exceptional
- fast
- bright
- sharp
- keen
- wise
- brainy
- wise
- skilled
- nimble
- educated
- ingenious
- quick-witted
- cunning
- supersmart
- insightful
- sharp-witted
- alert
- resourceful
- astute
- sensible
- ultrasmart
- creative
- perceptive
- hyperintelligent
- perspicacious
- sagacious
- erudite
- learned
- apt
- savvy
- inventive
- acute
- schooled
- cerebral
- knowledgeable
- literate
- informed
- shrewd
- reasonable
- logical
- judicious
- sound
- heady
- trained
- wily
- prudent
- genial
- scholarly
- rational
- highbrow
- knowing
- sane
- discerning
- crafty
- sage
- foxy
- percipient
- well-read
- sapient
- sapient
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- simple
- stupid
- dumb
- fatuous
- dull
- dense
- dopey
- opaque
- slow
- vacuous
- soft
- obtuse
- thick
- unintelligent
- dim
- doltish
- unbrilliant
- witless
- idiotic
- boneheaded
- dunderheaded
- mindless
- lamebrained
- brainless
- lamebrain
- silly
- dorky
- thickheaded
- unsmart
- pinheaded
- moronic
- gormless
- senseless
- foolish
- knuckleheaded
- softheaded
- bubbleheaded
- chuckleheaded
- simpleminded
- imbecilic
- feebleminded
- idiotical
- imbecile
- dopy
- dim-witted
- lunkheaded
- absurd
- thick-witted
- insane
- ignorant
- zany
- crazy
- brain-dead
- mad
- airheaded
- half-witted
- empty-headed
- wacky
- uneducated
- whacky
- daft
- slow-witted
- unacademic
- weak-minded
- preposterous
- birdbrained
- uninformed
- nutty
- unintellectual
- kooky
- illiterate
- nonsensical
- unwise
- lunatic
- unthinking
- loony
- asinine
- untaught
- lowbrow
- nonintellectual
- dotty
- daffy
- dippy
- fool
- half-baked
- harebrained
- screwball
- sappy
- cuckoo
- balmy
- boobish
- crackpot
- looney
- cockeyed
- half-baked
- kookie
- tomfool
- featherheaded
3
as in remarkable
likely to attract attention a brilliant example of government waste Synonyms & Similar Words
- remarkable
- prominent
- noticeable
- dramatic
- impressive
- commanding
- striking
- outstanding
- marked
- interesting
- conspicuous
- flamboyant
- showy
- emphatic
- bold
- pronounced
- arresting
- eye-catching
- catchy
- noisy
- distinguished
- visible
- loud
- notable
- spectacular
- splashy
- noteworthy
- fascinating
- highlighted
- bodacious
- glaring
- salient
- recognizable
- eminent
- discernible
- kenspeckle
- grabby
- fancy
- detectable
- extravagant
- perceptible
- riveting
- enthralling
- observable
- gaudy
- flashy
- tawdry
- engrossing
- meretricious
- ornate
- glitzy
- jazzy
- absorbing
- pretentious
- screaming
- spotlighted
- garish
- discernable
- flagrant
- howling
- swanky
- swank
- overwrought
- opulent
- glittery
- ostentatious
- florid
- overdone
- hifalutin
- highfalutin
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unremarkable
- subtle
- unobtrusive
- inconspicuous
- unshowy
- unflamboyant
- obscure
- unemphatic
- hidden
- faint
- simple
- undistinguished
- dim
- unpretentious
- unimportant
- unnoticeable
- insignificant
- modest
- subtle
- concealed
- unaffected
- shrouded
- unassuming
- quiet
- understated
- conservative
- plain
- subdued
- restrained
- unflashy
- muted
- toned-down
brilliant
2 of 2noun
as in gem
a usually valuable stone cut and polished for ornament the diamond cutter set out an array of brilliants to show the various ways the diamond could be cut Synonyms & Similar Words
- gem
- jewel
- rock
- jewelry
- gemstone
- bijou
- bauble
- cameo
- scarab
- solitaire
- trinket
- rhinestone
- baguette
- zircon
- crown jewels
- paste
- cabochon
- birthstone
- teardrop
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- rough
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of brilliant are bright, luminous, lustrous, and radiant. While all these words mean "shining or glowing with light," brilliant implies intense often sparkling brightness.
While in some cases nearly identical to brilliant, bright implies emitting or reflecting a high degree of light.
While the synonyms luminous and brilliant are close in meaning, luminous implies emission of steady, suffused, glowing light by reflection or in surrounding darkness.
The words lustrous and brilliant can be used in similar contexts, but lustrous stresses an even, rich light from a surface that reflects brightly without glittering.
Although the words radiant and brilliant have much in common, radiant stresses the emission or seeming emission of rays of light.