brillant
/bʁi.jɑ̃/
In French, the English word bright is translated as brillant. Wiktionary also lists clair and luisant.
Meaning: emitting much light, visually dazzling (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| brillant | /bʁi.jɑ̃/ |
| clair | /klɛʁ/ |
| luisant | /lɥi.zɑ̃/ |
The term brillant is used to describe something that emits light or shines, but it is also frequently used metaphorically to describe a person's intellect or a person's future, much like in English.
Which one should you use?
Additionally, while brillant describes something that shines or an intelligent person, clair can refer to the lightness of a color or the clarity of a sound.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective brillant changes based on the gender and number of the noun it modifies: it becomes brillante in the feminine, brillants in the masculine plural and brillantes in the feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
The word brillant is pronounced /bʁi.jɑ̃/ and consists of 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word clair comes from the Latin root meaning 'to shout' or 'to call', suggesting that something bright is something that 'calls' for attention through its clarity.
- A 'bright' color in French is often called vif, which literally translates to 'alive' or 'lively', suggesting the color has a pulse.
- The phrase être au clair does not mean to be 'bright' but means to have everything settled or to be transparent about a situation.
Examples in context
- Il a un avenir brillant.He has a bright future.This sentence uses brillant to describe a bright future.Tatoeba #130428 by Micsmithel, translation #287567 by CM
- C'est une brillante idée.That's a bright idea.This sentence uses brillante to describe a bright idea.Tatoeba #341354 by sysko, translation #42742 by CM
- Tom a un brillant avenir.Tom's future is bright.Tatoeba #5621500 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #4494414 by CK
- La lumière est très lumineuse aujourd'huiThe light is very bright today
- Le visage de l'enfant était radieuxThe child's face was bright
- Les feux d'artifice étaient vraiment éblouissantsThe fireworks were truly bright
- Elle avait un regard pétillantShe had bright eyes
- La lampe émet une lumière vive.The lamp emits a bright light.
- Le soleil brille de façon éclatante dans le ciel.The sun shines brilliantly in the sky.
- Ce tableau est d'une beauté lumineuse.This painting is of a bright beauty.
- Les lumières de la ville scintillent de manière éblouissante.The city lights sparkle brightly.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are looking at a piece of jewelry.
- ManonRegarde ce diamant, il est vraiment brillant.Look at this diamond, it is really bright.
- HugoC'est vrai, il attire toute la lumière.It's true, it attracts all the light.
- ManonLe reflet est presque trop brillant pour moi.The reflection is almost too bright for me.
- HugoC'est ce qui le rend si précieux, Manon.That is what makes it so precious, Manon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bright” translations and entries brillant, clair, luisant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries clair, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
