brillante
/bɾiˈʝante/
The English phrase 'brilliant' can be translated into Spanish as brillante.
brillante is used to describe someone or something that is highly intelligent. Much like the English word 'brilliant', it is also used to describe something that possesses physical light or a shine.
Meaning: highly intelligent (adj)
Which one should you use?
While brillante is the standard term for high intelligence or light, other words may be more appropriate depending on the context. For example, if you want to describe someone as impressive, you might use impresionante.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the expression brillante is often used to convey the meaning of 'brilliant'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective brillante is invariant in gender, meaning it stays the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. To make brillante plural, add an 's' to get brillantes.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɾiˈʝante/
Did you know?
- The root of brillante traces back to the Latin 'beryllus', which refers to a specific bright green gemstone called beryl.
- In Spanish, a 'brilliant' idea is often described as una idea brillante, but if the idea is a sudden stroke of genius, they might call it una chispa meaning 'a spark'.
- The suffix -ante in brillante is a remnant of the Latin present participle. This means the word literally describes someone or something in the active state of 'shining'.
Examples in context
- Ésa es una idea brillante.That's a brilliant idea.This sentence shows how to use brillante with an idea.Tatoeba #580208 by Shishir, translation #42738 by CK
- Mira esa estrella brillante.Look at that brilliant star.This sentence shows how to use brillante to describe a star's light.Tatoeba #1976887 by marcelostockle, translation #68467 by Eldad
- La idea de Tom es brillante.Tom's idea is brilliant.This sentence shows how to use brillante to describe a person's idea.Tatoeba #10012170 by manufrutos, translation #5155143 by CK
- Los resultados de su investigación son espléndidos.The results of your research are brilliant.
- El trabajo que ha realizado es extraordinario.The work you have done is extraordinary.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking about a classmate.
- SofíaMateo, ¿crees que Ana sea inteligente?Mateo, do you think Ana is intelligent?
- MateoSí, ella es realmente brillante.Yes, she is truly brilliant.
- SofíaSiempre saca las mejores notas.She always gets the best grades.
- MateoEs la persona más brillante de la clase.She is the most brilliant person in the class.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brilliant” translations and entries brillante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries brillante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
