brilliant and magnificent share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. brilliant means “of surpassing excellence”. magnificent means “characterized by grandeur”. brilliant is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɹɪljənt/
1.adj.of surpassing excellence
“a brilliant performance”
2.adj.having or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence
“our project needs brainy women”
3.adj.characterized by grandeur
“the brilliant court life at Versailles”
/mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/
1.adj.characterized by grandeur
“the brilliant court life at Versailles”
| brilliant | magnificent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɹɪljənt/ | /mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/ |
| Said | BRI-lyuhnt | mag-NIF-uh-suhnt |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Letters | 9 | 11 |
| Parts of speech | adjective | adjective |
| Senses | 6 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | superb | brilliant, glorious, splendid |
Full entry for brilliant · Full entry for magnificent · More comparisons