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brillante

bree-YAHN-tay/bɾiˈʎante/

bright, shiny

Also: sparkling, glossy
A vibrant yellow sun shining intensely and radiating strong, bright light across a simple blue sky.

📝 In Action

Necesitas gafas de sol porque la nieve está muy brillante.

A2

You need sunglasses because the snow is very bright.

Compramos pintura brillante para que la sala se viera más grande.

A1

We bought glossy paint so the living room would look bigger.

Las estrellas eran tan brillantes que podías verlas desde la ciudad.

B1

The stars were so bright you could see them from the city.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • luminoso (luminous)
  • reluciente (glowing/shining)

Antonyms

  • opaco (opaque/dull)
  • oscuro (dark)

Common Collocations

  • color brillante – bright color
  • luz brillante – bright light

brilliant, outstanding

Also: clever, magnificent
A young person with a thoughtful and confident expression, holding a single, simple, completed wooden puzzle piece, illustrating cleverness.

📝 In Action

Tu hermano es un estudiante brillante; siempre saca las mejores notas.

B1

Your brother is a brilliant student; he always gets the best grades.

La actriz tuvo una actuación brillante en la obra de teatro.

B2

The actress gave a brilliant performance in the play.

El plan que propusiste es realmente brillante.

B1

The plan you proposed is truly brilliant.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • carrera brillante – brilliant career
  • mente brillante – brilliant mind

diamond

Also: brilliant
NounmC1neutral/formal
A single, large, highly faceted clear diamond gemstone intensely reflecting light.

📝 In Action

El anillo de compromiso tiene un brillante de dos quilates.

C1

The engagement ring has a two-carat diamond.

Los brillantes que adornan la corona son de la mejor calidad.

C1

The diamonds adorning the crown are of the best quality.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • cortar un brillante – to cut a diamond

Translate to Spanish

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: brillante

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'brillante' in its figurative (clever) meaning?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
brillar(to shine) — Verb
brillo(shine, gloss) — Noun
brillantemente(brilliantly) — Adverb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes directly from the Spanish verb *brillar* (to shine), which itself is believed to have Germanic or possibly Vulgar Latin roots (from a word meaning 'to shimmer'). It began simply describing things that sparkle, and later evolved to describe people who 'shine' through their intelligence.

First recorded: 15th century (as an adjective)

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: brillanteFrench: brillant

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'brillante' change its ending for masculine and feminine nouns?

No, it doesn't! Because 'brillante' already ends in the vowel 'e', it is used the same way for both masculine (*el coche brillante*) and feminine (*la idea brillante*) nouns. You only change the ending if you are talking about more than one thing (*los coches brillantes*).

How do I know if 'brillante' means 'bright' or 'clever'?

The context usually makes it clear. If you are talking about light, colors, or surfaces, it means 'bright' or 'shiny.' If you are talking about a person, an idea, a career, or a performance, it means 'brilliant' or 'excellent.'