brillant
/bʁi.jɑ̃/masculine
The French word for shiny is brillant.
brillant is used to describe something that reflects light. Beyond its literal meaning of reflecting light, it can also be used to convey the idea of something being brilliant or excellent.
Meaning: reflecting light (adj)
Which one should you use?
While brillant can mean 'shiny' in the sense of reflecting light, it is also the standard French word for 'brilliant' or 'bright' when referring to intelligence or the intensity of light.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is brillant. The feminine singular form is brillante, the masculine plural form is brillants and the feminine plural form is brillantes.
How do you pronounce it?
/bʁi.jɑ̃/ (two syllables)
Did you know?
- If you use brillant to describe a person's skin, it might imply they are sweating or covered in oil, which could be an unintentional insult.
- While brillant describes a shiny surface, if you want to describe something that is 'shiny' in a greasy or oily way, you would use luisant instead.
- The word brillant is a cognate of the English 'brilliant', but in French, it is more commonly used as a general adjective for 'shiny' objects in daily life.
Examples in context
- Mary a de longs cheveux brillants.Mary has long, shiny hair.This sentence shows how to describe hair using brillant.Tatoeba #6603983 by aperitero, translation #6603861 by Hybrid
- Ce shampoing rend mes cheveux brillants.This shampoo makes my hair shiny.This sentence uses brillant to describe the effect of shampoo on hair.Tatoeba #13558665 by sacredceltic, translation #2342384 by Hybrid
- Sami avait un vélo avec des roues brillantes.Sami had a bike with shiny wheels on it.This sentence uses brillant to describe wheels on a bike.Tatoeba #7280618 by tras, translation #7278600 by OsoHombre
- Elle porte une robe brillante.She is wearing a shiny dress.
- Le soleil se reflète sur la surface brillante du lac.The sun is reflecting on the shiny surface of the lake.
- La mer était magnifiquement étincelante au coucher du soleil.The sea was beautifully shiny at sunset.
- Sa nouvelle voiture est très luisante.His car is very shiny.
- Les bijoux étaient si luisants qu'ils attiraient tous les regards.The jewelry was so shiny that it caught everyone's attention.
- Son sourire était éclatant.Her smile was bright.
- Ce diamant est vraiment étincelant.This diamond is truly sparkling.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is showing Léa a new piece of jewelry.
- LéaC'est très beau, c'est vraiment brillant !It's very beautiful, it's really shiny!
- GabrielMerci, j'adore cet effet.Thank you, I love this effect.
- LéaC'est un métal brillant, n'est-ce pas ?It's a shiny metal, isn't it?
- GabrielOui, c'est de l'argent pur.Yes, it is pure silver.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shiny” translations and entries brillant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
