brillante
/bɾiˈʝante/
The English phrase light bright can be translated into Spanish as brillante.
It is also the standard word used to describe someone or something as brilliant in terms of intelligence or talent.
Which one should you use?
While brillante refers to brightness in terms of light, it also carries the meaning of 'brilliant' when describing talent or intelligence.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective brillante is gender-neutral and stays the same regardless of whether it is describing a masculine or feminine noun. To express the plural form, add an -s to create brillantes.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɾiˈʝante/
Did you know?
- The root of brillante is linked to the ancient Greek word for a type of precious stone, which eventually shaped how we describe anything that shines.
- In the world of jewelry, a talla brillante refers specifically to the 'round brilliant cut', the most popular diamond cut in the world.
- In some Spanish-speaking contexts, describing someone as 'brillante' can sound slightly more formal or sophisticated than saying they are 'listo' or 'inteligente'.
Examples in context
- La habitación es luminosaThe room is bright
- Ese color es luminosoThat color is bright
- Las luces del escenario son brillantesThe stage lights are bright
- Ella tenía una sonrisa radianteShe had a radiant smile
- ¡Estás resplandeciente hoy!You're radiant today!
- Esa playa es resplandecienteThat beach is radiant
- ¡Qué día más radioso!What a radiant day!
- ¡El sol está brillantísimo hoy!The sun is extremely bright today!
- Eres brillantísimaYou're extremely bright
- El salón está luminoso y radiante, gracias a los grandes ventanalesThe living room is bright and radiant, thanks to the large windows
- Ella tiene una personalidad radiante que ilumina cualquier lugar en el que se encuentreShe has a radiant personality that lights up any room she enters
- El amanecer en las montañas es resplandeciente, con colores que parecen sacados de un sueñoThe sunrise in the mountains is radiant, with colors that seem to come from a dream
- El diamante es muy brillante.The diamond is very bright.
- Ese color es demasiado brillante.That color is too bright.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are looking at a painting in a gallery.
- LucíaMira este cuadro, es muy brillante.Look at this painting, it is very bright.
- MateoSí, los colores son muy intensos.Yes, the colors are very intense.
- LucíaMe gusta cómo se ve la luz.I like how the light looks.
- MateoA mí también, es impresionante.Me too, it is impressive.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry brillante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries brillante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
