BRILLIANT

brilliant

(adjective) full of light; shining intensely; “a brilliant star”; “brilliant chandeliers”

bright, brilliant, vivid

(adjective) having strong or striking color; “bright dress”; “brilliant tapestries”; “a bird with vivid plumage”

brilliant, glorious, magnificent, splendid

(adjective) characterized by grandeur; “the brilliant court life at Versailles”; “a glorious work of art”; “magnificent cathedrals”; “the splendid coronation ceremony”

brainy, brilliant, smart as a whip

(adjective) having or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence; “our project needs brainy women”; “a brilliant mind”; “a brilliant solution to the problem”

bright, brilliant

(adjective) clear and sharp and ringing; “the bright sound of the trumpet section”; “the brilliant sound of the trumpets”

brilliant, superb

(adjective) of surpassing excellence; “a brilliant performance”; “a superb actor”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

brilliant (comparative more brilliant, superlative most brilliant)

Shining brightly.

(of a colour) Both bright and saturated.

(of a voice or sound) Having a sharp, clear tone

(British) Of surpassing excellence.

(British) Magnificent or wonderful.

Highly intelligent.

Synonyms

• (shining brightly): glittering, shining

• (of a colour: both light and saturated)

• (of a voice or sound: having a sharp, clear tone)

• (surpassing excellence): excellent, distinctive, striking, superb (obsolete except in UK usage)

• (magnificent or wonderful): exceptional, glorious, magnificent, marvellous/marvelous, splendid, wonderful (obsolete except in UK usage)

• (highly intelligent): brainy, ingenious

• See also intelligent

Noun

brilliant (countable and uncountable, plural brilliants)

A finely cut gemstone, especially a diamond, cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to maximize light return through the top (called "table") of the stone.

(uncountable, printing, dated) The size of type between excelsior and diamond, standardized as 4-point.

Most hummingbird species of the genus Heliodoxa.

A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Source: Wiktionary


Bril"liant, a. Etym: [F. brillant, p. pr. of briller to shine or sparkle (cf. Pr. & Sp. brillar, It. brillare), fr. L. beryllus a precious stone of sea-green color, Prov. It. brill. See Beryl.]

1. Sparkling with luster; glittering; very bright; as, a brilliant star.

2. Distinguished by qualities which excite admiration; splended; shining; as, brilliant talents. Washington was more solicitous to avoid fatal mistakes than to perform brilliant exploits. Fisher Ames.

Syn.

– See Shining.

Bril"liant, n. Etym: [F. brillant. See Brilliant, a.]

1. A diamond or other gem of the finest cut, formed into faces and facets, so as to reflect and refract the light, by which it is rendered nore brilliant. It has at the middle, or top, a principal face, called the table, which is surrounded by a number of sloping facets forming a bizet; below, it has a small face or collet, parallel to the table, connected with the gridle by a pavilion of elongated facets. It is thus distinguished from the rose diamond, which is entirely covered with facets on the surface, and is flat below. This snuffbox -- on the hinge see brilliants shine. Pope.

2. (Print.)

Definition: The small size of type used in England printing.

Note: This line is printed in the type called Brilliant.

3. A kind of kotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

18 June 2025

SOUARI

(noun) large South American evergreen tree trifoliate leaves and drupes with nutlike seeds used as food and a source of cooking oil


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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