brilliant

Meanings

Adjective

• Shining brightly.
• Both bright and saturated.
• Having a sharp, clear tone
• Of surpassing excellence.
• Magnificent or wonderful.
• 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.

Related

Similar words

• glittering, shining
• excellent, distinctive, striking, superb (obsolete except in UK usage)
• exceptional, glorious, magnificent, marvellous/marvelous, splendid, wonderful (obsolete except in UK usage)
• brainy, ingenious

Origin

• Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus, from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος ("beryl").