brilliant
adjective /ˈbrɪliənt/
/ˈbrɪliənt/
- extremely clever or impressive
- What a brilliant idea!
- an absolutely brilliant idea
- a brilliant performance/invention
- He made two brilliant saves to keep his side in the match.
- The system is brilliant in its simplicity.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesa2- Her performance was technically brilliant but lacked feeling.
- Her performance was truly brilliant.
- He scored a brilliant goal a minute before the whistle blew.
- This is a brilliant and fascinating piece of writing.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- just
- really
- truly
- …
- at
- (British English, informal) very good; excellent
- ‘How was it?’ ‘Brilliant!’
- Thanks. You've been brilliant (= very helpful).
- She is very artistic, the cake looks brilliant.
Synonyms greatgreat- cool
- fantastic
- fabulous
- terrific
- brilliant
- awesome
- epic
- great (informal) very good; giving a lot of pleasure:
- We had a great time in Madrid.
- cool (informal) used to show that you admire or approve of something, often because it is fashionable, attractive or different:
- I think their new song’s really cool.
- fantastic (informal) extremely good; giving a lot of pleasure:
- ‘How was your holiday?’ ‘Fantastic!’
- fabulous (informal) extremely good:
- Jane’s a fabulous cook.
- terrific (informal) extremely good; wonderful:
- She’s doing a terrific job.
- brilliant (British English, informal), extremely good; wonderful:
- ‘How was the show?’ ‘Brilliant!’
- awesome (informal, especially North American English) very good, impressive or great fun:
- The show was just awesome.
- epic (informal) very good, impressive or great fun:
- The adventure and action are truly epic in scope.
- to have a(n) great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome time
- to look/sound great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome
- really great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome
- absolutely great/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome/epic
Extra Examples- Winning that race was just brilliant.
- ‘How was the show?’ ‘Brilliant!’
- He's brilliant at football.
- very intelligent or showing a lot of skill
- He's a brilliant young scientist.
- She has one of the most brilliant minds in the country.
Synonyms intelligentintelligent- smart
- clever
- brilliant
- bright
- 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 (especially North American English) 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.
- clever (sometimes disapproving, especially British English) quick at learning and understanding things; showing this ability: How clever of you to work it out!He’s too clever by half, if you ask me. People use clever in the phrase : Clever boy/girl! to tell a young child that they have learnt or done something well. When used to or about an adult clever can be disapproving.
- brilliant extremely intelligent or showing a lot of skill: He’s a brilliant young scientist.
- bright intelligent; quick to learn: She’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, student, pupil.
- clever/brilliant at something
- a(n) intelligent/smart/clever/brilliant/bright child/boy/girl/man/woman
- a(n) intelligent/smart/clever/brilliant thing to do
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- just
- really
- truly
- …
- at
- very successful
- a brilliant career
- The play was a brilliant success.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- just
- really
- truly
- …
- at
- (of light or colours) very bright
- brilliant sunshine
- brilliant blue eyes
- The sky was a brilliant blue.
Synonyms brightbright- brilliant
- vivid
- vibrant
- bright full of light; shining strongly; (of colours) strong and easy to see:
- a bright yellow dress
- brilliant very bright:
- The sky was a brilliant blue.
- vivid (approving) (of colours) bright and strong:
- His eyes were a vivid green.
- vibrant (approving) (of colours) bright and strong:
- The room was decorated in vibrant blues and greens.
- bright/brilliant/vivid/vibrant colours
- bright/brilliant light/sunlight/sunshine/eyes
Word Originlate 17th cent.: from French brillant ‘shining’, present participle of briller, from Italian brillare, probably from Latin beryllus from Greek bērullos.