brilliant
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- shining, bright, dazzling, glittering, intense, luminous, radiant, sparkling, vivid
- splendid, celebrated, famous, glorious, illustrious, magnificent, notable, outstanding, superb
- intelligent, clever, expert, gifted, intellectual, inventive, masterly, penetrating, profound, talented

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Antonyms: subdued
Related Words: erudite, learned, sage, wise

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English Thesaurus: bright, strong, brilliant, dazzling, blinding, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

bril‧liant S2 W3 /ˈbrɪljənt/ adjective
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: present participle of briller 'to shine', from Italian brillare, probably from Latin beryllus; ⇒ beryl]

1. BRIGHT brilliant light or colour is very bright and strong:
She closed her eyes against the brilliant light.
We sat outside in the brilliant sunshine.
She was dressed in brilliant white.

2. CLEVER extremely clever or skilful:
I think that’s a brilliant idea.
a brilliant performance
a brilliant young musician

3. EXCELLENT British English excellent:
The film was absolutely brilliant.

4. SUCCESSFUL very successful:
He had a long and brilliant career.
The project was a brilliant success.
—brilliantly adverb:
The sun was shining brilliantly.
The goalkeeper played brilliantly.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

brilliant
adj.
VERBS be, look
ADV. bloody (taboo), just, really Winning that race was just brilliant.
absolutely, quite, totally, utterly an absolutely brilliant idea
technically Her performance was technically brilliant but lacked feeling.
PREP. at He's brilliant at football.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bright shining strongly:
The sunshine was very bright.
the bright light of the torch
strong very bright:
Photographs fade if they are exposed to strong sunlight.
brilliant extremely bright, especially in a way that seems good:
The garden was full of brilliant autumn sunshine.
dazzling a dazzling light is so bright that it hurts your eyes and you cannot look at it:
dazzling headlights
the dazzling reflection from the mirror
blinding a blinding light is very bright and makes you unable to see for a short time after you have looked at it:
There was a sudden blinding light, followed by the sound of a huge explosion.
harsh a harsh light is bright and unpleasant:
In the harsh light of the kitchen, she looked older than she was.
good if the light is good in a place where you are working, it is bright enough for you to see what you are doing:
The light wasn’t good enough to read.
light bright because there are big windows:
The dining room was light and airy.
well-lit bright because there are plenty of electric lights:
Try to park in a well-lit place.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fantastic/terrific spoken extremely good, in a way that makes you feel excited and happy – used mainly in spoken English:
The view from the top was fantastic.
He did a fantastic job.
That’s a terrific idea!
‘I passed!’ ‘That’s terrific!’
great spoken extremely good – used mainly in spoken English:
Thanks for a great afternoon.
‘Did you have a good holiday?' ’It was great!'
excellent extremely good – used especially about the quality of something. Excellent is more formal than fantastic/terrific or great, and is used in both spoken and written English:
Our local theatre has put on some excellent productions.
It is an excellent film.
wonderful extremely good in a way that impresses you or makes you very pleased:
She is really a wonderful person.
That’s wonderful news!
marvellous British English, marvelous American English extremely good in a way that impresses you or makes you very pleased. Marvellous sounds a little old-fashioned, but is still fairly common:
We had a marvellous dinner at a little restaurant near the hotel.
Martino’s performance was marvelous.
amazing extremely good in a surprising and exciting way:
Standing there on top of Mount Fuji was an amazing experience.
incredible extremely good in a surprising and exciting way. Incredible is often used when something is so good that it almost seems unlikely:
What a goal! That was incredible!
It was an incredible moment - one that I will never forget.
brilliant British English informal extremely good:
‘How was your trip?’ ‘Absolutely brilliant!’
What a brilliant idea!
be out of this world used when saying that something is so good that you cannot imagine anything better:
Their desserts are out of this world.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

good of a high standard or quality:
I’ve just read a really good book.
My French is not very good.
nice pleasant and enjoyable. Nice is very common in spoken English. In written English, it is better to use other words:
I hope you have a nice vacation.
It will be nice to see you again.
good quality/high quality well made from good materials:
If you buy good quality shoes, they last much longer.
high-quality wallpapers
fine used for describing things of a very high quality, or weather with no rain and clear skies:
The restaurant serves the finest food in Florence.
If it’s fine tomorrow, we’ll go for a walk.
neat American English spoken good – used when you like something:
That’s a neat idea.
They sell some really neat stuff.
attractive an attractive offer, course of action etc seems good and makes you want to accept it or do it:
Going home for dinner was a more attractive proposition than completing his run.
Buying direct from the manufacturer seems the most attractive option.
impressive something that is impressive is good in a way that makes people admire it:
an impressive achievement
It was a very impressive performance.
excellent/superb extremely good:
Your English is excellent.
She’s a superb teacher.
great/wonderful/terrific/fantastic especially spoken extremely good:
It’s a great film.
Her cooking is wonderful.
That’s a terrific idea!
brilliant British English especially spoken extremely good:
The play was absolutely brilliant.
amazing/incredible extremely good, in a surprising and exciting way:
New York is an amazing place.
The skating has been incredible in this competition.
beautiful/glorious used about weather that is very pleasant and sunny:
It’s a beautiful day.
The weather was just glorious.
outstanding/first-class/top-quality much better than other places, people etc:
an outstanding performance
The service is always first-class.
exceptional unusually good:
Occasionally, we get a student with exceptional talent.
a woman of exceptional beauty
awesome especially American English informal very good:
The movie was awesome.
be out of this world spoken to be extremely good:
Their chocolate cake is just out of this world!

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

intelligent having a high level of mental ability, and good at thinking clearly and understanding ideas:
The top universities aim to select the most intelligent students.
clever especially British English, smart especially American English intelligent, so that you can think and learn quickly and find ways to solve problems:
That was very clever of you. How did you do that?
I wasn’t smart enough to be a lawyer.
bright intelligent – used especially about children and young people:
He’s a very bright kid.
the brightest student in the class
brilliant extremely intelligent and good at the work you do:
a brilliant scientist
gifted a gifted child is much more intelligent than most other children:
a special school for gifted children
wise able to make good decisions and give sensible advice, especially because you have a lot of experience:
a wise old man
cunning/crafty good at using your intelligence to get what you want, often by making secret plans or tricking people:
She was cunning enough to keep this latest piece of information secret.
He’s a crafty old devil!
brainy informal intelligent and good at studying:
My sister is the brainy one in our family.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲