Definition of BRILLIANT

brilliant

Plural: brilliants

Adjective Satellite

  • of surpassing excellence
    • "a brilliant performance"
  • having or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence
    • "a brilliant mind"
    • "a brilliant solution to the problem"
  • characterized by grandeur
    • "the brilliant court life at Versailles"
  • having striking color
    • "brilliant tapestries"
  • full of light; shining intensely
    • "a brilliant star"
    • "brilliant chandeliers"
  • clear and sharp and ringing
    • "the brilliant sound of the trumpets"

Adj

  • Shining brightly.
  • Both bright and saturated.
  • Having a sharp, clear tone.
  • Of surpassing excellence; magnificent.
  • Highly intelligent.

Noun

  • 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.
  • 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.

Verb

  • To cut (a diamond) with many facets, to make it into a brilliant.

Examples

  • butterflies with brilliant blue wings
  • She is a brilliant scientist.
  • The actor's performance in the play was simply brilliant.
  • the brilliant lights along the promenade

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus (“a beryl, gem, eyeglass”), from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”).

Scrabble Score: 11

brilliant: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
brilliant: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
brilliant: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

brilliant: valid Words With Friends Word