brillant
/bʁi.jɑ̃/
The French word for brilliant is brillant.
The adjective brillant can be used to describe intelligence, a future or physical light/brightness, similar to its use in English. It can also refer to a hummingbird of the genus Heliodoxa. Additionally, perle is used as a noun to refer to 4-point type.
Meaning: highly intelligent (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes based on gender and number: use brillante for the feminine singular, brillants for the masculine plural and brillantes for the feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/bʁi.jɑ̃/
Did you know?
- In the world of French gemstones, un brillant is not just an adjective but a noun referring to a specific cut of diamond designed to maximize light.
- Depending on the tone, saying c'est brillant in response to an idea can come across as sarcastic or overly formal to a native speaker.
- French speakers use brillant to describe the 'brilliance' of a diamond, but they use scintillant to describe the twinkling brilliance of stars.
Examples in context
- Quelle idée brillante !What a brilliant idea!This sentence demonstrates an exclamation regarding a brilliant idea using brillant.Tatoeba #1793917 by sacredceltic, translation #3823634 by CK
- C'est une brillante idée.That's a brilliant idea.This sentence shows how to state that an idea is brilliant using brillant.Tatoeba #341354 by sysko, translation #42738 by CK
- Tom a un brillant avenir.Tom has a brilliant future.This sentence illustrates the use of brillant when describing a person's future.Tatoeba #5621500 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #5621415 by CK
- Le discours du président était brillant et éloquent, il a captivé l'audience.The president's speech was brilliant and eloquent, it captivated the audience.
- Tes idées géniales ont permis de résoudre le problème.Your brilliant ideas helped solve the problem.
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a classmate after an exam.
- ManonCe garçon est vraiment brillant.That boy is truly brilliant.
- LucasOui, il est très brillant.Yes, he is very brilliant.
- ManonIl a toujours de bonnes notes.He always has good grades.
- LucasC'est un étudiant exceptionnel.He is an exceptional student.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brilliant” translations and entries brillant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
