brilliant

Everyday

1. Brilliant means very clever or talented. tree →
2. Brilliant means very bright and shining, like brilliant sunshine. tree →
3. In British, Irish and Australian everyday speech, brilliant means really good or great. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life children and teachers say brilliant to praise good work or good news. In science, brilliant light is very bright. In stories, a brilliant detective or inventor is very clever. Phrases: a brilliant idea, brilliant colours, That's brilliant!

Examples

• What a brilliant idea! tree →
• She is a brilliant scientist. tree →
• The sun was brilliant in the blue sky. tree →
• The parrot has brilliant green feathers. tree →
• We had a brilliant time at the beach. tree →
• Brilliant work on your story, Sam! tree →
• The diamond was brilliant in the light. tree →
• I’m sure to have a brilliant idea for you before long.’ tree →

Note

Spelling: double l: b-r-i-l-l-i-a-n-t. Adverb: brilliantly; noun: brilliance. In the UK people often say brill for short. In the USA, brilliant mostly means very clever or very bright, less often just good.