brilliant
gb/bɹˈɪljənt/ us/bɹˈɪljənt/
B1
Anglais
~ 2500
Sens
0 sens
adjective
informal
B1
property
1
Extremely impressive or excellent
Very good or excellent.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] is brilliant
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'brilliant' with 'bright' when talking about intelligence or skill; 'brilliant' in this sense means excellent, not just giving light.
Synonymes
excellent (A more neutral term for very high quality.)
|
outstanding (Emphasizes being much better than average.)
Antonymes
poor (Describes low quality or standard.)
|
terrible (Strongly negative evaluation of quality.)
Collocations
brilliant idea
|brilliant performance
|brilliant solution
|absolutely brilliant
|brilliant mind
Thèmes
daily life
|opinions
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Her latest novel is absolutely brilliant.
- That was a brilliant performance by the young actor.
- He came up with a brilliant solution to the problem.
- The film’s direction was simply brilliant.
- Your plan is brilliant and should work perfectly.
Exemples pédagogiques
- This book is brilliant.
- You did a brilliant job.
- That meal was brilliant.
- She has a brilliant voice.
- It was a brilliant game.
adjective
B1
property
2
Very bright with light or color
Shining very brightly or strongly colored.
Schéma d’usage :
a brilliant [light/color/sunshine]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may overuse 'brilliant' for brightness when 'bright' is more common in everyday speech for simple cases.
Synonymes
bright (General term for giving off much light.)
|
radiant (Suggests warmth and beauty in the brightness.)
Antonymes
dim (Not giving much light.)
|
dull (Lacking brightness or vividness.)
Collocations
brilliant sunshine
|brilliant blue sky
|brilliant display
|brilliant light
Thèmes
nature
|visuals
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The garden was full of brilliant flowers.
- A brilliant flash lit up the night sky.
- She wore a dress of brilliant red silk.
- The diamond sparkled with brilliant light.
- Brilliant sunshine streamed through the windows.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The sun is brilliant today.
- He saw a brilliant star in the sky.
- She has a brilliant blue dress.
- The room was full of brilliant light.
- We saw a brilliant rainbow.
adjective
B2
property
3
Exceptionally intelligent or talented
Very smart or very good at something.
Schéma d’usage :
a brilliant [person/student/mind]
Erreur fréquente :
Some learners mix up this meaning with 'bright' for intelligence; 'brilliant' sounds stronger and more impressive.
Synonymes
genius (Suggests an extremely high level of natural ability.)
|
gifted (Emphasizes natural talent or aptitude.)
Antonymes
average (Having normal abilities, not exceptional.)
|
mediocre (Of only moderate ability or quality.)
Collocations
brilliant scientist
|brilliant career
|brilliant student
Thèmes
education
|work
|abilities
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Einstein was a brilliant physicist.
- She has a brilliant mind for mathematics.
- He enjoyed a brilliant career in law.
- The young chess player showed brilliant skill.
- Her analysis of the case was truly brilliant.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She is a brilliant student.
- He is a brilliant doctor.
- My teacher is brilliant at explaining things.
- That scientist is brilliant.
- He has a brilliant mind.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
brilliant
API
GB/bɹˈɪljənt/
US/bɹˈɪljənt/
Syllabes et accentuation
bril - liant (2 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (bril)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: brilliant
Famille de mots
Core family
brilliance
noun
brilliantly
adverb B2
Expressions
absolutely brilliant
1/ˌæbsəlˈutli bɹˈɪljənt/
fixed phrase
informal
Completely excellent or impressive
Very, very good; perfect in some way.
Exemples
- Your performance was absolutely brilliant!
- The food was absolutely brilliant tonight.
brilliant idea
1/bɹˈɪljənt aɪdˈiə/
fixed phrase
An excellent thought or plan
A very good and clever plan or suggestion.
Exemples
- That’s a brilliant idea—let’s do it!
- She had the brilliant idea to start the meeting earlier.
brilliant mind
1/bɹˈɪljənt mˈaɪnd/
fixed phrase
A person with great intelligence or creativity
A person who is very smart or creative.
Exemples
- He’s a brilliant mind in the field of physics.
- We need a brilliant mind to solve this problem.