illustrious

adjective

i-ˈlə-strē-əs How to pronounce illustrious (audio)
Definition of illustriousnext
as in distinguished
standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement an illustrious physicist who is a sure bet for a Nobel Prize

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word illustrious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of illustrious are celebrated, distinguished, eminent, famous, noted, notorious, and renowned. While all these words mean "known far and wide," illustrious stresses enduring honor and glory attached to a deed or person.

illustrious war heroes

Where would celebrated be a reasonable alternative to illustrious?

The meanings of celebrated and illustrious largely overlap; however, celebrated implies notice and attention especially in print.

the most celebrated beauty of her day

In what contexts can distinguished take the place of illustrious?

The synonyms distinguished and illustrious are sometimes interchangeable, but distinguished implies acknowledged excellence or superiority.

a distinguished scientist who won the Nobel Prize

When is it sensible to use eminent instead of illustrious?

The words eminent and illustrious can be used in similar contexts, but eminent implies even greater prominence for outstanding quality or character.

the country's most eminent writers

When could famous be used to replace illustrious?

The words famous and illustrious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, famous implies little more than the fact of being, sometimes briefly, widely and popularly known.

a famous actress

When would noted be a good substitute for illustrious?

While the synonyms noted and illustrious are close in meaning, noted suggests well-deserved public attention.

the noted mystery writer

How are the words notorious and famous related as synonyms of illustrious?

Notorious frequently adds to famous an implication of questionableness or evil.

a notorious gangster

When can renowned be used instead of illustrious?

In some situations, the words renowned and illustrious are roughly equivalent. However, renowned implies more glory and acclamation.

one of the most renowned figures in sports history

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 illustrious The 40-year-old has had an illustrious 22-year career on the basketball court, including this season. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025 Five months later, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly handed Landeskog the Stanley Cup, the crowning achievement of his illustrious career. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2025 Bette Davis — Jezebel (1938) Bette Davis may have had more iconic roles during her illustrious career, but her turn as a headstrong Southern belle in Jezebel stands out as one of Hollywood's earliest feminist-leaning heroes. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025 This esteemed award honors the Monegasque chef’s culinary achievements over an illustrious career. —Spencer Whaley, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for illustrious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illustrious
  1. distinguished
  2. outstanding
  3. prestigious
  4. famous
  5. eminent
  6. notable
Adjective
  • France has had a distinguished career as a journalist, activist and filmmaker, having focused primarily on the LGBTQ+ movement.
    — Tom White, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Serling wrote 92 of the 156 black-and-white sci-fi fantasy episodes throughout the five-year run, with distinguished writers Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson contributing 36 more top chapters.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of distinguished
Adjective
  • In addition to the ensemble prize, Short also won outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series.
    — Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Densmore also had three outstanding warrants out of Illinois.
    — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of outstanding
Adjective
  • And by reversing a one-goal loss to Herediano last week in Costa Rica, Wednesday’s result gave the Galaxy a 4-2 aggregate-goal victory in the two-leg round-of-16 playoff, lifting the team into the quarterfinals of the confederation’s most prestigious club competition for the first time in a decade.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
  • During Miller’s four years at Arkansas, the Razorbacks had one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country.
    — David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of prestigious
Adjective
  • After years away, theater director Jeanine (Seyfried) re-enters the opera world to stage her former mentor’s most famous work.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
  • This Key Largo state park is famous for being underwater and boasts four kinds of boat tours, which include glass-bottom boat trips.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of famous
Adjective
  • The study published in the eminent science journal, The Lancet, and falsely linked MMR vaccines with autism.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Costa interviews eminent subjects on both sides of the ideological divide, including current president Lula, former president Bolsonaro, and evangelical minister (and Bolsonaro ally) Silas Malafaia.
    — Erik Morse, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of eminent
Adjective
  • Though perhaps not the most immediately exciting news, the finding is notable for illustrating what science has only previously been able to guess at.
    — Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The flurry of moves may be most notable for the position Borgonzi has not addressed: quarterback.
    — Nate Rau, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of notable

Browse Nearby Words

illustrious
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Illustrious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illustrious. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on illustrious

Nglish: Translation of illustrious 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 (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular Features

See More

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

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
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
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All