brilliant
Use Brilliant in a sentence
yənt 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
6.
Jewelry. a gem, especially a diamond, having any of several varieties of the brilliant cut.
7.
Printing. a size of type about 3½-point.
00:10
Brilliant
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Origin:
1675–85; < French brillant shining, present participle of briller < Italian brillare to glitter (perhaps derivative of an expressive root); see -ant
1675–85; < French brillant shining, present participle of briller < Italian brillare to glitter (perhaps derivative of an expressive root); see -ant
Related forms
bril·liant·ly, adverb
bril·liant·ness, noun
o·ver·bril·liant, adjective
o·ver·bril·liant·ly, adverb
qua·si-bril·liant, adjective
qua·si-bril·liant·ly, adverb
un·bril·liant, adjective
un·bril·liant·ly, adverb
un·bril·liant·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To brilliant
Collins
World English Dictionary
brilliant (ˈbrɪljənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 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 |
| a. (of the tone of an instrument) having a large proportion of high harmonics above the fundamental | |
| b. brilliant, Also: brilliante with spirit; lively | |
| —n | |
| 7. | Also called: brilliant cut |
| 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. | (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 | |
| 'brilliantly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
brilliant
1680s, from Fr. brilliant "sparkling, shining" prp. of briller "to shine" (16c.), from It. brillare "sparkle, whirl," perhaps from V.L. *berillare "to shine like a beryl," from berillus "beryl, precious stone," from L. beryllus (see beryl). In reference to diamonds (1680s)
it means a flat-topped cut invented 17c. by Venetian cutter Vincenzo Peruzzi.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Example sentences
He's an extremely talented politician, articulate and intelligent, and brilliant at the more vulgar end of empathizing.
Some clones turn a brilliant, shining yellow that almost seems to generate sunlight.
But he also joined a gift for quick, clever, complex dialogue with a brilliant comedic physicality.
Walter was a brilliant publisher.
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