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brilliant
Outstanding, excellent, or clever; of exceptionally high quality or intelligence.
example
Das war eine brillante Analyse der aktuellen politischen Lage.
That was a brilliant analysis of the current political situation.
brilliant
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning from the noun that 'brilliant' describes. If it refers to abstract things like an idea or performance, it means 'hervorragend' (outstanding). If it refers to concrete objects like jewelry or eyes, it means 'glänzend' (shiny/brilliant).
EXAMPLE
Er hatte eine brillante Idee, um das Problem zu lösen.
He had a brilliant idea for solving the problem.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'hervorragend' (outstanding), 'brilliant' is often combined with intellectual or creative achievements. Typical examples are: 'eine brillante Idee' (a brilliant idea), 'eine brillante Analyse' (a brilliant analysis), 'ein brillanter Redner' (a brilliant speaker), or 'eine brillante Vorstellung' (a brilliant performance).
EXAMPLE
Die Pianistin gab ein brillantes Konzert.
The pianist gave a brilliant concert.
Register
The word 'brilliant' in the sense of 'ausgezeichnet' (excellent) belongs to an elevated style. It expresses very high praise and is stronger than 'sehr gut' (very good).
EXAMPLE
Ihre Argumentation in der Debatte war einfach brilliant.
Her argumentation in the debate was simply brilliant.
Compare with
brilliant vs schlecht
bad
'schlecht' and 'brilliant' can both evaluate a performance, idea, or quality, but they mean almost the opposite. 'schlecht' says that something is not good or has many mistakes. 'brilliant' is much stronger than just 'good' and means exceptionally good, clever, or impressive. For ordinary good things, 'brilliant' is often too strong. It fits especially when a solution, a presentation, or an idea really stands out.
brilliant
Annas Vorschlag war brilliant, weil er das Problem sofort gelöst hat.
Anna's suggestion was brilliant because it solved the problem immediately.
schlecht
Der Bericht war schlecht geschrieben und enthielt viele Fehler.
The report was badly written and contained many mistakes.
In real life
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