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
brilliant
Brightly shining, sparkling, or radiant.
EXAMPLE
Sie trug ein Kleid, das mit brillianten Pailletten besetzt war.
She wore a dress covered with brilliant sequins.
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 genial
brilliant / awesome
Genial and brilliant praise an exceptionally clever idea or solution. Genial emphasizes creative originality and inventiveness. Brilliant, by contrast, can highlight the solution’s particularly high, convincing quality or intelligence more generally.
brilliant
Marias Lösung ist brilliant, weil sie das schwierige Problem vollständig und überzeugend löst.
Maria’s solution is brilliant because it solves the difficult problem completely and convincingly.
genial
Marias Lösung ist genial, weil sie dafür ein völlig neues Verfahren erfunden hat.
Maria’s solution is brilliant because she invented a completely new method for it.
In real life
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