Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Brilliance |
BrillianceNoun1. Great brightness; "a glare of sunlight"; "the flowers were a blaze of color". 2. The quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand. 3. Unusual mental ability. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "brilliance" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | The degree of brightness and clarity in a cathode-ray tube. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| BRIL | English | Brilliance | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: BrillianceSynonyms: blaze (n), genius (n), glare (n), grandeur (n), grandness (n), magnificence (n), splendor (n), splendour (n). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Brilliance |
| English words defined with "brilliance": ablaze ♦ bleached, brilliant ♦ dazzling, dimness ♦ faded, flaming, fulgurant, fulgurous ♦ glorious ♦ herd ♦ incandescent ♦ lackluster, lacklustre, lusterless, lustreless ♦ magnificent, meteoric ♦ pyrotechnics ♦ ruck ♦ splendid, subduedness ♦ transparently ♦ washed-out, washy. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "brilliance": camera control operator, color-television console monitor ♦ echo intensity ♦ fixed and flashing light ♦ intensity modulation, intensity-modulated indicator ♦ LABORATORY CHIEF, laboratory manager ♦ photographic-laboratory supervisor ♦ TONE REGULATOR ♦ video engineer, VIDEO OPERATOR. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | The Vikings, their brutality aside, had their moments of brilliance. At one point, they were such great shipbuilders, that Leif Ericson and his crew sailed all the way to America (Oz; writing credit: Pavel Srut) | |
Clever | If You Can't Dazzle Them With Brilliance, Riddle Them With Bullets. (references; author: unknown) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References | |||
Books | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
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| "Firey Bushes 5" by Shonna Clark Commentary: "A display of the brilliance of fall!." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Author | Quotation |
Ann Landers | Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet; a happy marriage has the tranquillity of a lovely sunset. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | The branches, wild with the noonday brilliance, seemed seeking to embrace each other |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Catherine Zeta-Jones | It's hard and Rob Marshall, his brilliance along with Bill Kander found the missing link that were put on screen. |
Rush Limbaugh | To call for the brilliance and bravery that is the space program to be shut down or curtailed because of Challenger and Columbia is to dishonor all of those who have gone into the program. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Brilliance" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.74% of the time. "Brilliance" is used about 380 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.74% | 379 | 14,472 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.26% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 380 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Country | Name |
| Hong Kong | Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "brilliance": near-brilliance, rug-brilliance. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "brilliance"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | shkëlqim (aureola, aureole, blaze, brightness, brilliancy, distinction, eclat, effulgence, flamboyance, flamboyancy, flame, glint, glitter, glory, gloss, glow, halo, irradiation, lambency, luster, lustre, nimbus, pageantry, polish, pomp, radiance, radiancy, refulgence, resplendence, scintillation, sheen, shine, sparkle, splendor, splendour), madhështi (brilliancy, elevation, flamboyance, flamboyancy, glory, grandeur, grandiosity, majesty, pageantry, pomp, solemnity, splendor, splendour, state, sublimity). (various references) | |
Arabic | تألق (blaze, brilliancy, dazzle, effulgence, glint, glitter, glory, irradiate, luminosity, magnificence, outshine, radiance, radiate, ray, refulgence, scintillate, shine, shine through, sparkle, star, vivacity), ذكاء (brain, brilliancy, cleverness, cuteness, intellect, intelligence, mentality, mind, penetration, quickness, sagacity, savvy, shrewdness, smartness, understanding, wit), إشراق (brightness, brilliancy, clearness, high rise, lightness, lucidity, luminosity, splendor, splendour, sunshine), ألمعية (brilliancy). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | колоритност (brilliancy), голяма интелигентност (brilliancy), великолепие (brilliancy, glory, grandeur, luster, lustre, magnificence, pomp, richness, splendor, splendour, state, style), блясък (blaze, brightness, brilliancy, coruscation, dash, eclat, effulgence, fire, flash, glamor, glamour, glance, glint, glitter, glory, gloss, glossiness, heraldry, illumination, irradiation, lambency, light, luminance, luminosity, luster, lustre, pageantry, polish, radiance, radiancy, refulgence, resplendence, resplendency, sheen, shine, sparkle, splendor, splendour). (various references) | |
Chinese | 光华. (various references) | |
Czech | brilance, záře (flare, glare, radiance, shine, sparkle), výraznost (thickness), oslnivost, lesk (dazzle, glare, gleam, glitter, gloss, glossiness, luster, lustre, polish, radiance, refulgence, shimmer, shine, splendour), jas (brightness, brilliancy, radiance). (various references) | |
Danish | brillans, glans (brightness, brillance, finish, glans, glaze, gloss, lustre, lustre of fabric, polish, sheen). (various references) | |
Dutch | helderheid (cleanliness, purity), glans (gloss, sheen). (various references) | |
Farsi | تابش (Flame, Glint, Glitter, Glow, Sheen, Shine), زیرکی (Agility, Cogency, Cunning, Intelligence, Perspicacity, Sagacity, Subtlety), استعداد (Amplitude, Aptitude, Aptness, Art, Caliber, Capacity, Genius, Gift, Ingenuity, Knack, Liability, Property, Shift, Tendency, Turquoise, Verve), درخشندگی (Blaze, Glim, Glitter, Luster, Radiance, Refulgence, Sheen), برق (Electricity, Flash, Glaze, Glint, Scintillation, Sheen, Sparkle). (various references) | |
Finnish | välke (gleam, glitter), kirkkaus (brightness, clearness). (various references) | |
French | brillant (bright, brightness, brilliancy, brilliant), brillance (brightness, brillance), intelligence (brains, brilliancy), éclat (brightness). (various references) | |
German | glanz (brightness, brilliancy, effulgence, finery, glamor, glamour, glance, glare, gleam, glitter, glory, gloss, glossiness, luminosity, luminousness, luster, lustre, polish, radiance, refulgence, resplendence, sheen, sheens, shine, shininess, sparkle, splendor, splendour), helligkeit (brightness, fairness, lightness, luminosity, paleness, vividness, whiteness), brillanz (ingeniousness, ingenuity). (various references) | |
Greek | λαμπρότητα (eclat, lucence, lucency, lustrousness, pomp, resplendence, resplendency, sheen, splendidness, splendor, splendour). (various references) | |
Hebrew | יפעה (beauty, brightness, splendor), זיו (brightness, glamor, lustre, splendour), זוהר (brightness, flaring, glamor, glamour, incandescent, lustre, lustrous, magnificence, radiance, radiant, sheen, shine). (various references) | |
Hungarian | ragyogás (blaze, brilliancy, effulgence, flame, glamor, glamour, glare, glitter, glossiness, glowing, irradiation, lucency, luster, lustre, Lustrum, magnificence, radiance, radiancy, sheen, shine, splendor, splendour), fényerősség (brilliancy), éleselméjűség (acuity, acuteness, brilliancy, insight, perspicacity, shrewdness). (various references) | |
Indonesian | kegemilangan, kecerdasan (agility, aptitude, aptness, astuteness, brightness, intelligence, shrewdness), kecemerlangan (glory, glow, luster), cahaya (efflugence, light, radiance, ray). (various references) | |
Italian | brillantezza (brilliancy). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 光沢 (glossy finish of photographs, lustre, polish). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | きき (crisis, damage, demolishing, destroying, disliking, displeasure, dreadful, effective, effectiveness, efficacy, ghastly, machinery and tools, offense, the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, work), さんぜん (3000, many, prior to childbirth, radiance, Zen meditation), せいさい (detail, legal wife, life, punishment, restraint, sanctions, vitality, vividness), かんぱつ, こうたく (glossy finish, lustre, polish), こうさい (acquaintance, association, clever speech, company, friendship, High Court, iris, judicial decision, public bond or securities, public debt, slag, society, splendour). (various references) | |
Korean | 광택 (luster, Polish). (various references) | |
Manx | sollyssid (brightness, clearness, gloss, illustration, lightness, luminosity, lustre, polish, radiance, resplendence, sheen, transparency), soilsheanaght (luminosity, vividness), ard-inchynys, ard-aghtallys. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | illiancebray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | brilho (blaze, brilliancy, burnish, eclat, effulgence, fire, flashing, glaze, glisten, glitter, glossiness, glow, illumination, irradiation, lucidity, luster, lustre, polish, radiance, radiancy, resplendence, scintillation, sheen, shine, varnish, vivacity). (various references) | |
Romanian | zare (brilliancy, horizon, summit), strãlucire (bravery, brightness, brilliancy, coruscation, eclat, effulgence, fineness, fire, flame, flash, flashing, flush, gaiety, glitter, gloss, glow, gorgeousness, grandeur, irradiance, irradiation, lucency, luminosity, luster, lustre, panoply, pomp, radiance, radiancy, radiation, refulgence, resplendence, richness, scintillation, sheen, shine, sparkle, splendor, splendour), splendoare (bravery, brilliancy, effulgence, glitter, gorgeousness, grandeur, luxuriance, magnificence, refulgence, resplendence, sheen, splendor, splendour), sclipire (brilliancy, coruscation, flare, flash, gleam, glisten, glister, glitter, sheen, shimmer, shine, sparkle, twinkle), razã (beam, brightness, brilliancy, compass, gleam, radiation, radius, Ray, shaft), mãreţie (brilliancy, elevation, gorgeousness, grandeur, greatness, height, loftiness, magnificence, majesty, mightiness, splendor, splendour). (various references) | |
Russian | блеск (brilliancy, coruscation, effulgence, flash, flying colors, glint, glitter, glitz, gloss, lambency, luster, lustre, radiance, radiancy, resplendence, resplendency, scintillation, sheen, sheens, shine, shininess, splendor, splendour). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | briljantnost (brilliancy), sjaj (blazon, blazonry, brilliancy, burnish, eclat, effulgence, gloss, glow, luminosity, luster, lustre, radiance, radiancy, refulgence, sheen, shine, sparkle, splendor, splendour), mera sjajnosti (brilliancy). (various references) | |
Spanish | brillo (bloom, brightness, brilliancy, burnish, eclat, glare, glint, gloss, glossiness, glow, radiance, radiancy, sheen, shimmer, shine, sparkle), brillantez (brilliancy, luminousness, lustre, radiance, radiancy, refulgence). (various references) | |
Swedish | sken (appearance, bolting, color, colour, glare, glimmer, gloss, glow, guise, light, pallet, pretence, pretense, refulgence, semblance, sheen, shine, show). (various references) | |
Turkish | parlaklık (brightness, brilliancy, effulgence, flamboyance, flame, flashiness, glazing, gleam, glitter, glossiness, gorgeousness, incandescence, irradiance, lambency, liveliness, lucency, luminescence, luminosity, luster, lustre, lustrousness, polish, radiance, resplendence, sheen, shine, sleekness, splendidness, splendor, splendour, vividness), görkem (array, bravery, brightness, brilliancy, effulgence, glory, gorgeousness, grandeur, magnificence, majesty, pomp, pomposity, radiance, resplendence, splendidness, splendor, splendour, state, stateliness, sumptuousness). (various references) | |
Turkmen | яalpyldy (lustre, shine), цwьюgin (shine). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | яскравість (brightness, flamboyance, flamboyancy, freshness, illumination, vivacity, vividness), блиск (blaze, brightness, burnish, coruscation, effulgence, glance, irradiation, luster, lustre, oriency, pomp, resplendence, scintillation, shine, sparkle, splendor, splendour), пишнота (glare, grandeur, lordliness, magnificence, pageantry, panoply, pride, radiance, radiancy, resplendence, splendor, splendour). (various references) | |
Welsh | disgleirdeb (brightness). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | nitor, splendor, splendore, splendorem, splendoribus, splendoris. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "brilliance": brilliances. (additional references) | |
| |
"Brilliance" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: briliance, brillance, brilliace, brillian. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "brilliance" (pronounced bri"lyuns) |
| 5 | -l y u n s | ebullience. |
| 4 | -y u n s | convenience, inconvenience. |
| 3 | -u n s | absence, abstinence, abundance, acceptance, accordance, abeyance, abhorrence, acquaintance, acquiescence, adherence, admirations, admittance, adolescence, affluence, allegiance, alliance, allowance, ambiance, ambience, ambivalence, ambulance, annoyance, appearance, appliance, arrogance, ascendance, assistance, assurance, attendance, audience, avoidance, balance, belligerence, beneficence, benevolence, bioscience, cadence, capacitance, chrominance, circumference, clairvoyance, Clarence, clearance, coexistence, cognizance, coherence, coincidence, coinsurance, comeuppance, competence, compliance, concurrence, condolence, conference, confidence, confluence, conformance, congruence, connivance, conscience, consequence, consistence, continuance, contrivance, convalescence, convergence, conveyance, correspondence, countenance, counterbalance, counterintelligence, credence, dalliance, decadence, Defeasance, deference, defiance, deliverance, dependence, deterrence, deviance, difference, diligence, disallowance, disappearance, discontinuance, disobedience, dissidence, dissonance, distance, disturbance, divergence, dominance, elegance, eloquence, emergence, eminence, endurance, entrance, equivalence, essence, evanescence, evidence, excellence, existence, expedience, experience, extravagance, exuberance, flamboyance, Florence, forbearance, fragrance, furtherance, governance, grievance, guidance, hindrance, ignorance, imbalance, immanence, imminence, impatience, impedance, importance, impotence, imprudence, inadvertence, incidence, incoherence, incompetence, incontinence, independence, indifference, inductance, indulgence, inexperience, inference, influence, inheritance, innocence, insignificance, insistence, insolence, instance, insurance, intelligence, interdependence, interference, intolerance, intransigence, invariance, irrelevance, irreverence, issuance, jurisprudence, licence, license, luminance, luminescence, maintenance, malfeasance, negligence, neuroscience, noncompliance, noninterference, nonviolence, nuisance, obedience, observance, obsolescence, occurrence, omnipotence, omnipresence, opulence, ordinance, Ordnance, overabundance, overconfidence, overdependence, overreliance, parlance, patience, penance, performance, permanence, persecutions, perseverance, persistence, pestilence, petulance, phosphorescence, pittance, precedence, predominance, preeminence, preference, preponderance, prescience, presence, prevalence, prominence, protuberance, provenance, Providence, province, prudence, pseudoscience, quintessence, radiance, reappearance, reassurance, recalcitrance, recognizance, reconnaissance, recurrence, reemergence, reference, reinspections, reinsurance, relevance, reliance, reluctance, remembrance, reminiscence, remittance, repentance, resemblance, residence, resilience, resistance, resonance, resurgence, reticence, reverence, riddance, science, semblance, senescence, sentence, sequence, severance, significance, silence, submergence, subservience, subsidence, subsistence, substance, surveillance, sustenance, teleconference, temperance, tolerance, transcendence, transference, transience, turbulence, unbalance, utterance, Valence, variance, vehemence, vengeance, videoconference, vigilance, violence, virulence. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-b-c-e-i-i-l-l-n-r" | |
-2 letters: bilinear, irenical. | |
-3 letters: airline, albinic, allicin, bacilli, braille, caliber, calibre, carbine, carline, liberal, linable, ralline. | |
-4 letters: alible, aliner, bailer, bailie, baller, berlin, biller, billie, caller, caribe, carlin, carnie, cellar, clinal, eclair, inlace, inlier, irenic, labile, lacier, lancer, larine, liable, librae, lienal, lineal, linear, linier, nailer, nielli, rebill, recall, renail. | |
-5 letters: abler, acerb, acini, alibi. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-b-c-e-i-i-l-l-n-r" | |
+1 letter: brilliances. | |
+2 letters: brilliancies. | |
+4 letters: irreconcilable, irreconcilably. | |
+5 letters: bidirectionally, irreconcilables, neurobiological, reconcilability. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Digital Art 7. Quotations: Familiar 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Quotations: Spoken 10. Usage Frequency 11. Names: Company Usage 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Translations: Ancient 16. Abbreviations | 17. Acronyms 18. Derivations 19. Rhymes 20. Anagrams | 21. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
