brilliant vs shining

brilliant

adj
  • Of surpassing excellence. 

  • Highly intelligent. 

  • Magnificent or wonderful. 

  • Both bright and saturated. 

  • Shining brightly. 

  • Having a sharp, clear tone. 

noun
  • 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. 

  • Most hummingbird species of the genus Heliodoxa. 

  • A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving. 

shining

adj
  • Having exceptional merit. 

  • Having a high polish or sheen. 

  • Reflecting light. 

  • Emitting light. 

noun
  • A bright emission of light; a gleam. 

How often have the words brilliant and shining occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )