Brilliant vs. Excellent — What's the Difference?

Extremely intelligent or skilled.

Exceptionally good.

Radiant or sparkling.

Deserving of high praise.

Awe-inspiring or notable.

Conforming to high benchmarks.

Full of light; shining.

Very capable or skilled.

Relating to or being a hue that has a combination of high lightness and strong saturation.

Very satisfying or pleasing.

Sharp and clear in tone

Extremely good; outstanding

Glorious; magnificent

Used to indicate approval or pleasure

Superb; wonderful

Of the highest or finest quality; exceptionally good for its kind

Having or showing unusual and impressive intelligence

(Archaic) Being so to an extreme degree.

A precious gem, especially a diamond, finely cut in any of various forms with numerous facets.

Having excelled, having surpassed.

Shining brightly.

Of higher or the highest quality; splendid.

(of a colour) Both bright and saturated.

Exceptionally good of its kind.

(of a voice or sound) Having a sharp, clear tone

Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality.

(British) Of surpassing excellence.

(obsolete) Excellently.

(British) Magnificent or wonderful.

Excelling; surpassing others in some good quality or the sum of qualities; of great worth; eminent, in a good sense; superior; as, an excellent man, artist, citizen, husband, discourse, book, song, etc.; excellent breeding, principles, aims, action.

Highly intelligent.

Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality; - used with words of a bad significance.

A finely cut gemstone, especially a diamond, cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to maximize light return through the top (called "table") of the stone.

Excellently; eminently; exceedingly.

The size of type between excelsior and diamond, standardized as 4-point.

Of the highest quality;

Most hummingbird species of the genus Heliodoxa.

A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Sparkling with luster; glittering; very bright; as, a brilliant star.

Distinguished by qualities which excite admiration; splendid; shining; as, brilliant talents.

Exceedingly intelligent, or of distinguished accomplishment in a field; - as, a brilliant chemist.

A diamond or other gem of the finest cut, formed into faces and facets, so as to reflect and refract the light, by which it is rendered more brilliant. It has at the middle, or top, a principal face, called the table, which is surrounded by a number of sloping facets forming a bizet; below, it has a small face or collet, parallel to the table, connected with the girdle by a pavilion of elongated facets. It is thus distinguished from the rose diamond, which is entirely covered with facets on the surface, and is flat below.

The smallest size of type used in England printing.

A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Of surpassing excellence;

Having or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence;

Characterized by or attended with brilliance or grandeur;

Having striking color;

Full of light; shining intensely;

Clear and sharp and ringing;

Marked by originality.

Achieving great success.

Often, but it can also describe talent or creativity.

To some extent, as it can depend on personal perception.

Yes, often referring to their intellect or talent.

Often, but not always. It's more about potential.

Yes, like excellent character or behavior.

Yes, excellent denotes high quality, not necessarily brilliance.

It's often seen as inherent, but skills can be honed.

Not always, but it often implies originality.

Generally, it's used in a positive context.

Yes, if it meets high quality standards.

It's common in British English, but also used globally.

Yes, if it's particularly well-conceived.

It often implies consistent high quality.

Yes, if it's performed to a high standard.

Not necessarily; success depends on various factors.