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Definition of brilliant adjective from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    brilliant

     adjective
    adjective
    NAmE//ˈbrɪlyənt//
     
     
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  1. 1extremely intelligent or impressive What a brilliant idea! a brilliant performance/invention
  2. 2very successful a brilliant career The play was a brilliant success.
  3. 3(of a person) very intelligent or skillful a brilliant young scientist She has one of the most brilliant minds in the country. Thesaurusintelligent
    • smart
    • brilliant
    • bright
    • sharp
    These words all describe people who are good at learning, understanding, and thinking about things, and the actions that show this ability.
    • intelligent good at learning, understanding, and thinking in a logical way about things; showing this ability:He's a highly intelligent man. She asked a lot of intelligent questions.
    • smart quick at learning and understanding things; showing the ability to make good business or personal decisions:She's smarter than her brother. That was a smart career move.
    • brilliant extremely intelligent or skillful:She's a brilliant young scientist.
    • bright intelligent; quick to learn:He's probably the brightest student in the class. Bright is used especially to talk about young people. Common collocations of bright include girl, boy, kid, and student.
    • sharp bright:You're a pretty sharp kid.
    Patterns
    • a(n) intelligent/smart/brilliant/bright/sharp child/kid/boy/girl
    • a(n) intelligent/smart/brilliant man/woman
    • a(n) intelligent/smart/brilliant thing to do
  4. 4(of light or colors) very bright brilliant sunshine brilliant blue eyes Thesaurusbright
    • brilliant
    • vivid
    • vibrant
    These words all describe things that are shining or full of light or colors that are strong and easy to see.
    • bright full of light; shining strongly; (of colors) strong and easy to see:a bright yellow dress
    • brilliant very bright:The sky was a brilliant blue.
    • vivid (approving) (of colors) bright and strong:His eyes were a vivid green.
    • vibrant (approving) (of colors) bright and strong:The room was decorated in vibrant blues and greens.
    vivid or vibrant?These two words are very similar, but vivid emphasizes how bright a color is, while vibrant suggests a more lively and exciting color or combination of colors.Patterns
    • bright/brilliant/vivid/vibrant colors
    • bright/brilliant light/sunlight/sunshine/eyes
brilliance
 
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NAmE//ˈbrɪlyəns//
 
noun [uncountable] There were flashes of brilliance from the soloists, but generally the playing and singing lacked sparkle.
brilliantly
 
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adverb The plan worked brilliantly. It was brilliantly sunny.See brilliant in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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