as in brightness
the quality or state of having or giving off light
the brilliancy of the diamond is shown to good effect by the museum's lighting
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Recent Examples of brilliancy
Family circles will have wrapped themselves in the holy pleasures of the great occasion, and everywhere the grand old holiday will have been introduced with all the majesty and brilliancy which clings around the hallowed name of Christmas.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 23 Dec. 2024
The Red Planet, shining at magnitude –1.4, is 40° to the east-northeast, and the king of planets, Jove, still near its greatest brilliancy for the year at magnitude –2.8, lies 46° west-southwest of Luna.
—Michael E. Bakich, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2022
Set emerald green against bright white to highlight its brilliancy.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Jan. 2022
Tonight also sees Venus is at greatest brilliancy, so get eyes-on with the second planet from the Sun right after sunset.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2021
One of these stars may rise from almost invisibility to a brilliance equaling 100,000,000 times the brilliancy of our sun, although, of course, such super novae are so far away that the estimates can be made only with telescopes.
—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 17 Dec. 2020
The truth is that in the history of chess, spanning more than a millennium, there hasn’t been a single human brilliancy, however wayward and unexpected, that a computer could not have located.
—Brad Leithauser, WSJ, 8 Nov. 2018
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 23 Dec. 2024
The Red Planet, shining at magnitude –1.4, is 40° to the east-northeast, and the king of planets, Jove, still near its greatest brilliancy for the year at magnitude –2.8, lies 46° west-southwest of Luna.
—Michael E. Bakich, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2022
Set emerald green against bright white to highlight its brilliancy.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Jan. 2022
Tonight also sees Venus is at greatest brilliancy, so get eyes-on with the second planet from the Sun right after sunset.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2021
One of these stars may rise from almost invisibility to a brilliance equaling 100,000,000 times the brilliancy of our sun, although, of course, such super novae are so far away that the estimates can be made only with telescopes.
—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 17 Dec. 2020
The truth is that in the history of chess, spanning more than a millennium, there hasn’t been a single human brilliancy, however wayward and unexpected, that a computer could not have located.
—Brad Leithauser, WSJ, 8 Nov. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brilliancy
Noun
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The low-profile scissor keys feel nice to type on, and there's a convenient shortcut row for functions like volume, screen brightness, emoji, and more.—
Julian Chokkattu,
WIRED,
28 Feb. 2025
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The golden yellow hue injects energy and brightness to entryways, kitchens, and social spaces, and layering it with the cool, crisp white hue makes for a fresh and airy color scheme perfect for spring.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Fellow Broward County native Jordan Lyle showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman last year, rushing for 400 yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2025
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Male competition, the divine mystery of creative brilliance, the fickleness of popularity: All play a part in Amadeus, although that shouldn’t discount how funny this film is, too.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Reliable comedic turns from Rick Hoffman's hapless Louis and Sarah Rafferty's fierce Donna brought a lightness to the show and rounded out the ensemble.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
23 Feb. 2025
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The record will explore the question of magic in all of its unexpected manifestations, even the ones that aren’t typically described with the lightness of the world, like grief.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brilliancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brilliancy. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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