brilliant

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bril·liant

(brĭl′yənt)

adj.

1. Full of light; shining. See Synonyms at bright.

2. Relating to or being a hue that has a combination of high lightness and strong saturation.

3. Sharp and clear in tone: a recording with brilliant sound.

4. Glorious; magnificent: the brilliant court life at Versailles.

5. Superb; wonderful: The soloist gave a brilliant performance.

6. Having or showing unusual and impressive intelligence: a brilliant mind; a brilliant solution to the problem. See Synonyms at intelligent.

A precious gem, especially a diamond, finely cut in any of various forms with numerous facets.

[French brillant, present participle of briller, to shine, from Italian brillare, perhaps from brillo, beryl, from Latin bēryllus; see beryl.]

bril′liant·ly adv.

bril′liant·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

brilliant

(ˈbrɪljənt)

adj

1. shining with light; sparkling

2. (Colours) (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. (Instruments) music

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

b. Also: brilliant or brilliante with spirit; lively

7. (Jewellery)

a. 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

b. a diamond of this cut

8. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (formerly) a size of a printer's type approximately equal to 4 point

[C17: from French brillant shining, from briller to shine, from Italian brillare, from brillo beryl]

ˈbrilliantly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bril•liant

(ˈbrɪl yənt)

adj.

1. shining brightly; sparkling; glittering: brilliant jewels.

2. distinguished; outstanding: a brilliant performance.

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

4. strong and clear in tone; vivid; bright: a brilliant blue.

5. splendid or magnificent: a brilliant social event.

6. a gem, esp. a diamond, having any of several varieties of the brilliant cut.

7. a size of type about 3½-point.

[1675–85; < French brillant shining, present participle of briller < Italian brillare to glitter; see -ant]

bril′liant•ly, adv.

bril′liant•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	brilliant - of surpassing excellence; "a brilliant performance"; "a superb actor" superb superior - of high or superior quality or performance; "superior wisdom derived from experience"; "superior math students"
	2.	brilliant - having or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence; "some men dislike brainy women"; "a brilliant mind"; "a brilliant solution to the problem" brainy, smart as a whip intelligent - having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree; "is there intelligent life in the universe?"; "an intelligent question"
	3.	brilliant - characterized by grandeur; "the brilliant court life at Versailles"; "a glorious work of art"; "magnificent cathedrals"; "the splendid coronation ceremony" magnificent, glorious, splendid impressive - making a strong or vivid impression; "an impressive ceremony"
	4.	brilliant - having striking color; "bright dress"; "brilliant tapestries"; "a bird with vivid plumage" bright, vivid colorful, colourful - having striking color; "colorful autumn leaves"
	5.	brilliant - full of light; shining intensely; "a brilliant star"; "brilliant chandeliers" bright - emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; "the sun was bright and hot"; "a bright sunlit room"
	6.	brilliant - clear and sharp and ringing; "the bright sound of the trumpet section"; "the brilliant sound of the trumpets" bright reverberant - having a tendency to reverberate or be repeatedly reflected; "a reverberant room"; "the reverberant booms of cannon"

brilliant

adjective

1. intelligent, sharp, intellectual, alert, clever, quick, acute, profound, rational, penetrating, discerning, inventive, astute, brainy, perspicacious, quick-witted She had a brilliant mind.
intelligent simple, slow, stupid, dim

2. expert, masterly, talented, gifted, accomplished a brilliant pianist
expert ordinary, dull, run-of-the-mill, unexceptional, untalented, unaccomplished

3. excellent, great, good, fine, wonderful, cracking (Brit. informal), superb, fantastic (informal), tremendous (informal), marvellous (informal), terrific (informal), mean (slang), mega (slang), awesome (slang), first-rate, brill (informal), topping (Brit. slang), hunky-dory (informal) My sister's given me a brilliant book.

4. splendid, grand, famous, celebrated, rare, supreme, outstanding, remarkable, superb, magnificent, sterling, glorious, exceptional, notable, renowned, heroic, admirable, eminent, sublime, illustrious a brilliant success

5. bright, shining, intense, sparkling, glittering, dazzling, vivid, radiant, luminous, ablaze, resplendent, scintillating, lustrous, coruscating, refulgent The event was held in brilliant sunshine.
bright dark, dull, obscure, dim, gloomy

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

brilliant

adjective

1. Giving off or reflecting light readily or in large amounts:

beamy, bright, effulgent, incandescent, irradiant, lambent, lucent, luminous, lustrous, radiant, refulgent, shiny.

2. Extemely bright:

glaring, glary.

3. Marked by extraordinary elegance, beauty, and splendor:

glorious, gorgeous, magnificent, proud, resplendent, splendid, splendorous.

4. Indicative of future success or full of promise:

auspicious, benign, bright, fair, favorable, fortunate, good, propitious.

5. Having or showing intelligence, often of a high order:

intellectual, intelligent, knowing, knowledgeable.

Informal: brainy.

Translations

ذَكي، نابِه، نابِغرائِعلامِع، ساطِع

geniálníoslnivýtřpytivývynikající

eminentfremragendeglimrendestrålende

glänzend großartig brillant genial

υπέροχος

brillante genial luminoso sobresaliente

loistava

brillant génial luisant lumineux magnifique

sjajan

afburîasnjallljómandi

brillante brillantezza fastoso geniale

光り輝く

빛나는

spindesystalentingastalentingumas

izcilslielisksmirdzošsspožs

briljant

funklende overlegent dyktig strålende strålende intelligent

genialny

brilhante

блестящий блистательный

bleščečsijajen

strålande

พรายแสง ฉลาดเยี่ยม

pırıl pırılçok zekiparlak

rất thông minh

卓越的才华横溢的明亮的

brilliant

[ˈbrɪljənt]

A. ADJ

1. (= bright) [sunshine] → resplandeciente → radiante; [light] → brillante; [colour] → brillante, luminoso; [smile] → radiante
his teeth were (a) brilliant white → tenía los dientes de un blanco reluciente

2. (= clever) [person, idea, mind] → brillante, genial; [thesis] → brillante

3. (= outstanding) [career, future] → brillante; [success, victory] → rotundo
the party was a brilliant success → la fiesta fue un éxito rotundo or total

4. (= wonderful) [book, film, restaurant] → genial, buenísimo
we had a brilliant time in Spain → lo pasamos fenomenal or genial en España
she's brilliant with children → se le dan fenomenal los niños
she's brilliant at making cakes → se le da fenomenal hacer pasteles
brilliant! → ¡fantástico! → ¡genial!

B. N (= diamond) → brillante m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

brilliant

[ˈbrɪliənt] adj

[person] → brillant(e)
a brilliant scientist → un savant brillant

[mind, idea] → brillant(e)

[colour, sunshine] → éclatant(e)

[career, future] → brillant(e)

[performance] → éblouissant(e)

(= excellent) → génial(e)
brilliant! → génial!

brilliant

adj

(fig) → großartig (also iro); scientist, artist, wit, achievement also → glänzend, brillant; student → hervorragend; she is a brilliant woman → sie ist eine sehr intelligente Frau; he is brilliant with my children → er versteht sich großartig mit meinen Kindern; to be brilliant at something/doing something → etw hervorragend können/tun können

sunshine, light, eyes, colour → strahlend

excl (inf: = great) → super (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

brilliant

[ˈbrɪljənt] adj (sunshine) → sfolgorante; (light, idea, person, success) → brillante

brilliant

(ˈbriljənt) adjective

1. very bright. the bird's brilliant feathers.

2. very clever. a brilliant scholar.

ˈbrilliantly adverb

ˈbrilliance noun

1. brightness. the brilliance of the moon.

2. cleverness. his brilliance as a surgeon.

brilliant

→ رائِع geniální glimrende glänzend υπέροχος brillante loistava génial sjajan brillante 光り輝く 빛나는 briljant strålende genialny brilhante блестящий strålande พรายแสง ฉลาดเยี่ยม pırıl pırıl rất thông minh 卓越的

References in classic literature ?

OF two Writers one was brilliant but indolent; the other though dull, industrious.

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His mother had been in her youth a brilliant society woman, who had had during her married life, and still more afterwards, many love affairs notorious in the whole fashionable world.

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An officer of the Cuirassier Life Guards, a handsome prince who everyone predicted would become aide-de-camp to the Emperor Nicholas I and have a brilliant career, left the service, broke off his engagement to a beautiful maid of honour, a favourite of the Empress's, gave his small estate to his sister, and retired to a monastery to become a monk.

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These being over, the conversation began to be (as the phrase is) extremely brilliant. However, as nothing past in it which can be thought material to this history, or, indeed, very material in itself, I shall omit the relation; the rather, as I have known some very fine polite conversation grow extremely dull, when transcribed into books, or repeated on the stage.

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He had not ridden many hundred yards after that before he saw to his left, across the whole width of the field, an enormous mass of cavalry in brilliant white uniforms, mounted on black horses, trotting straight toward him and across his path.

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Presently the light increased and a moment later, to my delight, I came upon a flight of steps leading upward, at the top of which the brilliant light of the noonday sun shone through an opening in the ground.

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Gleaming and glistening in the subdued light of the chamber, lay a great tray full of brilliant stones.

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On the other hand, I well remember a very brilliant man, somewhat older than I, who occasionally visited me.

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into the city of Blois had been noisy and brilliant his young majesty had therefore appeared perfectly satisfied with it.

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in yon brilliant window-niche How statue-like I me thee stand, The agate lamp within thy hand!

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Rawdon Crawley's costume de cour on the occasion of her presentation to the Sovereign was of the most elegant and brilliant description.

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We were talking about what it is like to spend one's childhood in little towns like these, buried in wheat and corn, under stimulating extremes of climate: burning summers when the world lies green and billowy beneath a brilliant sky, when one is fairly stifled in vegetation, in the color and smell of strong weeds and heavy harvests; blustery winters with little snow, when the whole country is stripped bare and gray as sheet-iron.