51³Ô¹Ï

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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.Ìýa gem, especially a diamond, having any of several varieties of the brilliant cut.

  2. Printing.Ìýa 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 mind

    a brilliant idea

  6. music

    1. (of the tone of an instrument) having a large proportion of high harmonics above the fundamental

    2. Also: brilliant.Ìý brilliante.Ìýwith 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 called: brilliant cut.Ìý

    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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Other 51³Ô¹Ï Forms

  • brilliantly adverb
  • brilliantness noun
  • overbrilliant adjective
  • overbrilliantly adverb
  • quasi-brilliant adjective
  • quasi-brilliantly adverb
  • unbrilliant adjective
  • unbrilliantly adverb
  • unbrilliantness noun
  • ˈ²ú°ù¾±±ô±ô¾±²¹²Ô³Ù±ô²â adverb
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51³Ô¹Ï 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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51³Ô¹Ï 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.

“What brought me out of retirement was the chance to work with Jeremy and the brilliant folks at Critical Role on things that have a lasting, positive impact on the world.â€

From

A drug dealer, brilliant in her business acumen, who could party all night and still seem sober, who remained tough and clear-headed well into the next afternoon on no sleep.

From

A mammoth fourth game saw seven deuces and Maria saving two break points for 3-1, before a brilliant scamper to a drop shot in the next allowed her to go a double break up.

From

Guy Pepper's brilliant strength to shake off two tacklers and touch down in the corner almost stretched Bath's lead further only for the score to be scratched for a knock-on by Will Muir.

From

Sensational from tee to green, he actually missed decent opportunities down the stretch to add to his 11 birdies over the first two rounds before that brilliant par save at the final hole.

From

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When To Use

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.

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