Meaning & use
brilliant person
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
Someone who is extremely intelligent or highly talented.
Grammar: It is a noun phrase made of an adjective plus 'person'; you can also say 'a brilliant scientist' or 'a brilliant mind'.
Patterns
- a brilliant person at something
- one of the most brilliant people in something
She is a brilliant person who solves problems in seconds.
He may be a brilliant person, but he is not always easy to work with.
The award went to a brilliant person in the field of physics.
nouncountableinformalBritish
Someone who shows great kindness or generosity in a particular situation.
Grammar: In British informal speech, 'brilliant' can mean 'excellent' or 'very kind', so the phrase can praise behavior rather than intelligence.
Patterns
- a brilliant person for doing something
- be brilliant to someone
You were a brilliant person to help me move at short notice.
She was brilliant to us when we first arrived in the city.
Common combinations
- a brilliant person at math
- He is a brilliant person at math but struggles with writing.
- one of the most brilliant people
- She is one of the most brilliant people in her generation.
- a brilliant person to work with
- Everyone says he is a brilliant person to work with.
- a truly brilliant person
- My grandmother was a truly brilliant person.
Synonyms and how they differ
- genius
- Stronger and often used as a noun on its own; 'genius' suggests exceptional natural ability, while 'brilliant person' is a little more general.
- smart person
- Less strong and more everyday; 'smart' can mean quick and practical, not necessarily outstanding.
- talented person
- Focuses on skill in a particular area, such as music or sport, rather than general intelligence.
Opposites
Word family
- brilliance noun
- The quality of being extremely intelligent or talented.
- brilliantly adverb
- In a very clever or impressive way.
Commonly confused: brilliant person or bright person?
brilliant person vs bright person
A bright person is intelligent but the word is milder and more common in everyday speech; brilliant is much stronger.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'brilliant person' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
In this phrase, 'brilliant' describes a person's intelligence or talent, so 'a brilliant person at solving puzzles' fits. The other options use 'brilliant' about light or as a physical object, which does not match the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “brilliant person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.