Skip to main content
brilliant

brilliant

14 3.0
Very bright and strong in color
  • adjective
  • /ˈbrɪljənt/
translation icon : brillante
  • Her dress was a brilliant shade of green that caught everyone's attention.
  • brilliant colors
  • brilliant blue
  • brilliant red

This was one of the best costumes of the con for me, just like it was really brilliant blue.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Marni Coe, he saw, wore a friendship bracelet on her right wrist woven from brilliant tropical-colored threads.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • However, all the plants are in simultaneous bloom, splashing the walls with brilliant flowers and fruits.

  • The gold is very brilliant.

  • His eyes were a dark and brilliant blue, just like his father's.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • There, on the back of the lion, was a beautiful woman framed in brilliant golden stars.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Did you ever notice when you look up at the sky and keep watching it long enough, its color seems to change from a black to a brilliant blue?

  • Brilliant yellow, like a sunflower.

  • The drying pavilions, huffing like bellows in the wind, were brilliant with color.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The incandescent colors: the startled green of palms laid open against a brilliant blue sky.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Some were richly illuminated in brilliant reds, blues, and burnished gold leaf.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

bright
vsbrilliant
235 1.0

Having a strong, vivid color that is easy to notice

is focused specifically on very striking color rather than general intensity
radiant
vsbrilliant
64 4.1

Shining or glowing brightly, often seeming very happy

describes vivid color appearance rather than actual shining or glow
dazzling
vsbrilliant
39 3.9

Very impressive and attractive in a way that gets attention

refers to striking color without implying dramatic impressiveness
vibrant
vsbrilliant
29 3.6

Full of bright, strong colors that attract attention

is about pure striking color rather than added lively sense
vivid
vsbrilliant
23 3.0

Very bright and clear in color and easy to notice

is similar but emphasises striking appearance rather than deep saturation
intense
vsbrilliant
16 3.4

A strong bright color that looks vivid

is more about being striking in appearance than just saturation
resplendent
vsbrilliant
11 7.9

Bright and beautiful in a way that looks impressive

focuses on striking color without the extra impressive or showy sense
sparkling
vsbrilliant
5 1.3

Shining with small bright points like light on snow

means strong striking color rather than twinkling or flashing light
incandescent
vsbrilliant
  • Literature
3 7.5

Full of strong feeling or passion

stays purely descriptive about color without emotional connotations
lustrous
vsbrilliant
1 6.3

Very famous and admired for great skill or success

is about vivid color itself rather than surface sheen or polish
glaring
vsbrilliant
1 3.8

A very bright light that hurts your eyes

describes striking color without the blinding or painful brightness aspect
fulgurous
vsbrilliant
  • Literature
9.9

Very bright and flashing like lightning that makes a strong impression

describes steady striking color rather than sudden flashing effect
lightful
vsbrilliant
  • Archaic
7.7

Full of bright light

focuses on vivid color appearance rather than general filled-with-light sense

Antonyms

31 1.0

Not bright or shiny with weak colour

1 2.7

Memories or feelings that become less clear over time

Compounds

brilliant pebble
  • Specialized
9.9

A small missile that uses a computer to find and destroy enemy missiles

How Bright

dazzling
2 3.1
brilliant
14 3.0
bright
235 1.0
muted
10 4.2
pale
291 1.0

Surface Forms

brilliant positive

Etymology

Brilliant comes from the French word briller 'to shine', and people used it for colors that seem to glow like jewels, so a brilliant color is very bright, strong, and striking.