- present participle of illuminate.
illuminating
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of illuminating
First recorded in 1555–65; illuminat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's illuminating makes you better informed, more aware, or more inspired. An illuminating documentary film gives you all kinds of new information about its subject. Describe things as illuminating when they clarify the situation or explain the facts. A long conversation with someone you don't know well can be illuminating, helping you understand her much better. Likewise, studying the details of any subject, whether it's dog training or art history, is also illuminating. The verb illuminate means "light up," and it comes from the Latin word illuminare, "to throw into light or make bright," which is also figuratively used to mean "illustrate."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Christopher Cokinos is a nature-and science writer whose most recent book is “Still as Bright: An Illuminating History of the Moon from Antiquity to Tomorrow.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025
This work was supported by the NIH Illuminating the Druggable Genome Initiative.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024
"Illuminating the vennel with such an impactful artwork gives it some much-deserved profile in the city. We're delighted to be involved in the project."
From BBC • Oct. 11, 2022
“Evolution is a tinkerer. Illuminating what workable molecular programs have evolved tells us what is biologically possible and where the constraints are,” he says.
From Scientific American • Sep. 23, 2022
Illuminating the bags of food, the sack of silver and tableware, the thick wool blankets of the North, the gold glittering on the drowned girl’s fingers, shining like stars in the crackle of the campfire.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
