illuminating

[ih-loo-muh-ney-ting]

adjective

1. giving or casting light.

2. informative; enlightening.

illuminating

/ ɪˈluːmɪˌneɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. serving to inform or clarify; instructive

Other Word Forms

• nonilluminating adjective
• nonilluminatingly adverb
• unilluminating adjective
• illuminatingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of illuminating¹

First recorded in 1555–65; illuminat(e) + -ing ²

Example Sentences

There is an illuminating chapter on the misleading and exaggerated claims about protein.

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Still, the next few weeks will be illuminating for the Chargers.

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But perhaps it was illuminating, as this entire endless year has been illuminating.

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“Marty Supreme” “ ‘A House of Dynamite’ is divided into three parts, each one expanding and illuminating the movie’s unsettling scenario – there’s a nuclear missile of unknown origin heading toward Chicago.

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“Moon Safari” didn’t need much else, but what it got was illuminating.

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Related Words

• enlightening