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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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 But the scale is eye-popping, illuminated by the nearly $200 million Jackson has spent personally on the campaign. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Tonight’s Venus cazimi could illuminate which opportunities, ambitions, or forms of recognition genuinely appeal to you now. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 23 Oct. 2026 During the Halloween season, Shawn and Ryan Tofte’s house illuminates with a cool blue hue while jack-o’-lanterns provide a warm glow on the steps and yard. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 Bill gave us a big chunk of his time to dig into these issues with him, and the resulting conversation is a really illuminating one. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026 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
  • Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Geraldine walked over to Felix and Jane’s for fish soup, through long autumn shadows in the park, haze rising like smoke from the grass, illumined by the low sun.
    — Tessa Hadley, New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2026
Definition of illumine
Verb
  • For next year’s admissions, institutions would have to publish more detailed selection criteria and explain rejections when applicants request reasons.
    — Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Chatbots can also explain complex topics in new ways and condense an overwhelming amount of information into a simple summary.
    — Robin Brewer, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Criminal conduct before citizenship The case illustrates how criminal conduct committed before naturalization can have consequences years after an immigrant becomes an American citizen.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The sellers made a mistake — and a trip to the poker table helps illustrate their folly.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of illustrate
Verb
  • The experience highlighted a central problem in warship procurement; selecting an existing design does not necessarily guarantee faster or cheaper construction if the customer substantially changes its architecture.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Indiana University School of Medicine virologist Natasha Tilston-Lunel highlights the Oropouche cases, but notes that the Schmallenberg virus, which is closely related to Shamonda, has been found to be widespread in livestock but not humans.
    — Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of highlight
Verb
  • Faculty are chosen based on their track record of educating Black students.
    — Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
  • He was educated at Middlebury College, and lived in New York City for 15 years, before settling back on the farm with his wife, Olga, and their children, Fiona and Abraham.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of educate
Verb
  • Rose lights three candles in front of the altar, then rises to her feet to read from her phone.
    — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Light it from the front, and the cup looks green; light it from behind, and the color changes to a deep red.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of light
Verb
  • Supreme Court Justice Zanin later clarified the decision is valid for wherever polls were still open.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Test results should help clarify whether its propulsion system and modular design can deliver the range and flexibility L3Harris promises.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of clarify
Verb
  • Both local governments filed their briefs to the Supreme Court this week, emphasizing their arguments that the bans are lawful because the AR-15 and similar weapons are not ordinary firearms.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Officials emphasized that machines are tested before each election and that in most jurisdictions, there is a postelection audit that consists of a manual hand count of a sample of paper ballots.
    — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of emphasize

Browse Nearby Words

illuminants
illuminate
illuminated
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Cite this Entry

“Illuminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illuminate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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