illuminate

verb

i-ˈlü-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce illuminate (audio)
Definition of illuminatenext
1
as in to illumine
to supply with light a floor lamp illuminates a living room rather nicely

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to explain
to make plain or understandable the museum's exhibit on the refraction of light really illuminated the subject for us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to illustrate
to supplement with pictorial matter for the purpose of explanation or decoration no one knows for sure the identity of the artist who illuminated that medieval manuscript so beautifully

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to highlight
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on the results of the statewide testing illuminated the need to place more focus on instruction in math and science

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding how man is illuminated by a higher spirit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illuminate Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi have each scored 21 goals this season, but neither of has illuminated the red light this month. — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2025 According to producers, the bulbs arrived in the United States Thursday, March 13, and the marquee was finally illuminated after last evening’s performance at the Golden. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025 That's because it will be illuminated by light from the sun that passes through the edge of Earth's atmosphere and bends toward the moon. — Joe Hernandez, NPR, 11 Mar. 2025 Home and family matters are highlighted under this sun-Saturn in Pisces conjunction, as your domestic fourth house is illuminated. — Valerie Mesa, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for illuminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illuminate
  1. illumine
  2. explain
  3. illustrate
  4. highlight
  5. educate
  6. light
  7. clarify
  8. emphasize
Verb
  • The lighting illumines each river in brilliantly bright backdrop colors.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
  • The bar was illumined by candles and an uplit line of mostly esoteric liquors along the full-length mirror against the back wall.
    — Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024
Definition of illumine
Verb
  • This analysis of an innovative AI breakthrough is part of my ongoing Forbes column coverage on the latest in AI, including identifying and explaining various impactful AI complexities (see the link here).
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The United States Department of Justice revealed the arrest on May 13, 2020, explaining that Fayne, who also goes by the name Arkansas Mo, had been arrested on federal bank fraud charges arising from a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.
    — Diane J. Cho, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Overall Vital Considerations Of course, the example shown is a relatively simple one and was merely undertaken to quickly illustrate how this works.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Such collections illustrate the unique and tough-to-replicate advantages of manufacturing in the City of Angels.
    — Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of illustrate
Verb
  • Talking budgies reveal a secret to their speech | Science News Watch on The study adds to a growing body of research on animal cognition, highlighting that birds may possess more advanced neural processes than previously believed.
    — Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The V-neck, bright floral print, and hidden back zipper are a few more details worth highlighting.
    — Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of highlight
Verb
  • The state agencies charged with addressing hard drug addiction and the safe use of cannabis are failing to educate the public as to the dangers of drug use.
    — Howard Husock, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The nonprofit sector should leverage this potential wealth transfer by investing time in educating donors about the importance of unrestricted gifts.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of educate
Verb
  • That failure did not light a fire so much as keep the pilot light on.
    — Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The location reopened in May of last year: ATMs are walled in by vertical stripes of handmade blue subway tile and lit by bulbous, ’60s-style lights.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of light
Verb
  • The Statesman sent a city spokesperson several questions to try to clarify the timeline.
    — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 14 Mar. 2025
  • This article has been updated to clarify that the U.S. Department of Education erroneously listed The University of Tulsa instead of the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa School of Medicine.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of clarify
Verb
  • Fred Nuzzo, who learned how to make pizza at Modern when his brother owned it, always emphasized to his son and others to never try to cut cost corners on ingredients, because the pizza wouldn’t be the same.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2025
  • This could include funding for multi-institutional AI research initiatives, policy frameworks that encourage responsible data sharing and standardized evaluation metrics that emphasize generalizability. 4.
    — Sanjay Juneja, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of emphasize

Browse Nearby Words

illuminate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illuminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illuminate. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on illuminate

Nglish: Translation of illuminate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All