Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brilliant

/ˈbɹɪ(l)jənt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.55 in modern English

Syllables: bril-liant
IPA: /ˈbɹɪ(l)jənt/

11

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Shining brightly.

adj

Both bright and saturated.

adj

Having a sharp, clear tone.

adj

Of surpassing excellence; magnificent.

adj

Highly intelligent.

adj

Great, wonderful.

British usage

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The size of type between excelsior and diamond, standardized as 4-point.

Dated; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"the brilliant lights along the promenade"
"butterflies with brilliant blue wings"
"The actor's performance in the play was simply brilliant."
""Thing is," Anahita resumed, and then, faltering, "Mean to say, well, we just think it's great." — "You, she means," Mishal corrected. "We think you're, you know." — "Brilliant," Anahita said and dazzled the bewildered Chamcha with a smile. "Magic. You know. Extreme.""
"She is a brilliant scientist."
"https://youtu.be/aoag03mSuXQ?t=5139s He absolutely could have told us to get lost, and didn't. What a brilliant guy!"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Dravidian *weḷ Proto-Dravidian *ūr Proto-Dravidian *weḷ-ūr Proto-Indo-Iranian *i- Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Indo-Iranian *-kas Proto-Indo-Iranian *-ikas Sanskrit -इक (-ika) Prakrit -इय (-iya) Prakrit वेरुलिअ (vērulia)bor. Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos)bor. Latin bēryllusder. Italian brillarebor. French briller French brillantbor. English brilliant 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”). By surface analysis, French brill(er) + -i- + -ant.

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: brillare, berillus, βήρυλλος

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbɹɪ(l)jənt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more brilliant (comparative) most brilliant (superlative) brilliants (plural) brilliants (present, singular) brillianting (participle, present) brillianted (participle, past) brillianted (past)

Derived Forms

brilliance brilliancy brilliantly brilliantness brillo overbrilliant superbrilliant ultrabrilliant unbrilliant trilliant

Phrases

brilliant green brilliant rummynose tetra

Frequently Paired Words

beryl beryllium brilliantine

Synonyms

glittering shining excellent distinctive striking superb exceptional glorious magnificent marvellous marvelous splendid

Rhymes With

resilient

Questions

How do you pronounce brilliant?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɹɪ(l)jənt/.
What does brilliant mean?: Shining brightly.
Where does brilliant come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce brilliant

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “brilliant”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɹɪ(l)jənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “brilliant”.
Repeat and practice — Say “brilliant” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.