brilliance

noun

bril·​liance ˈbril-yən(t)s How to pronounce brilliance (audio)
Synonyms of brilliancenext
: the quality or state of being brilliant

Synonyms of brilliance

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of brilliance in a Sentence

The professor was known for his brilliance. the brilliance of a diamond
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just do not turn every conversation into a performance review of your own brilliance. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026 This is the climactic phase of the eclipse, when the moon acts like a natural coronagraph to block the brilliance of the sun's disk, ushering in a false night in which our star's outer atmosphere can be seen leaping out from the lunar silhouette. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Schoenbrun has given us the entire life cycle of an intellectual property in three minutes, a sneak preview of the affection, the brilliance, and the sense of obsession to come. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026 Mashing the brake pedal delivers powerful, progressive, fade-free stops, courtesy of standard carbon-ceramic rotors and the brilliance of that ABS Evo system. — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for brilliance

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brilliance was in 1748

Browse Nearby Words

brille
brilliance
brilliancy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brilliance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brilliance. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

brilliance

noun
bril·​liance ˈbril-yən(t)s How to pronounce brilliance (audio)
: the quality or state of being brilliant

More from Merriam-Webster on brilliance

Nglish: Translation of brilliance for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about brilliance

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All